


Second Chance

by SlightlyPsycho



Category: Death Note, Death Note & Related Fandoms
Genre: Alternate Universe - Reincarnation, M/M, Originally Posted on FanFiction.Net
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-31
Updated: 2017-01-10
Packaged: 2018-09-13 15:13:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Underage
Chapters: 13
Words: 29,956
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9129967
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SlightlyPsycho/pseuds/SlightlyPsycho
Summary: After Light died, he couldn't go to heaven or hell. Well, not if L has something to say about it. Light is reincarnated and is tested to see if he'll choose to become Kira again or if he'll choose L while unknowingly saving himself LXLight





	1. The Void

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, everyone! I posted this story on fanfiction.net years ago, and people liked it. So I figured I should put it here too since I like AAO3. :)

Ryuk had warned him. Once a human uses a Death Note, they cannot go to heaven or hell. All that awaits them is nothing. Light could not see, hear, feel, smell, taste, or even think properly. The only thing that he could sense was emptiness.

Yet even in this empty void, Light managed to cling to one image. L.

Yes, he remembered his most worthy adversary and his best friend. L was the last thing he saw when he was lying on the stairs in that warehouse. Of course, it was only an illusion because Light had killed L years before his own death. But Light didn't mind that it was only a hallucination. At least he got to see L one last time.

Ironically, the same man who had imprisoned him and set up his mock execution was now the only thing that kept Light sane. Besides that image of L, Light truly had nothing. He could still visualize L staring down at him with his pitch black eyes. The detective's black hair would stick out unruly in the back and he'd still wear the same white shirt along with those baggy pants. Then he would crouch down in a chair in front of him and his mouth would move- _What the hell?_

Light could feel himself blink. Once he opened his eyes, he immediately recognized where he was. Light was in the same workroom where L had fallen from his chair and died. Light took in deep breaths, savoring the air as he gazed down at his hands.

"Light-kun?"

He glanced up and spotted L who was sitting across from him at the work table. Light froze for second as he gaped at the crouching detective. "L…how?"

L smiled at him. "I'm glad that you remember. There was a 67.3 percent chance that you would've forgotten everything while in the void."

"What's going on?" Light quickly asked, "I can't be in heaven or hell so where are we?"

Now L seemed even more at ease. "And your mind is intact as well." Then L held out his hand and suddenly a plate of strawberry cheesecake appeared on it. The lanky detective grinned childishly as a fork appeared in his other hand.

While L began eating his cheesecake, Light deduced, "You created this room. We're actually still in the void."

"That is correct, Light-kun." L took another bite before explaining, "I had to create this scenario because it is that all you understand since you haven't gone to heaven."

"And you did go to heaven?"

"I've told Light-kun before on several occasions that my justice was right way."

Light angrily crossed his arms. "Did you come here just to gloat? Because if that's your only intention, I rather go back into the void."

L sighed. "Light-kun thinks so poorly of me."

"Then why are you here?" Light impatiently snapped at him.

"I've come with a proposition for you," L calmly ate his cheesecake as he added, "If it works, you could go heaven."

Light immediately asked, "How? What do I have to do?"

After L finished the cheesecake, he placed his hands on top of his knees, "You have to pass a test. But it's a test on morals which Light-kun is unfortunately lacking."

"My morals are fine."

"No, they are not," L strictly affirmed in a way that would allow no objections, "If your morals were fine then you would be the one in heaven and not me."

Light stood and slammed his hands down on the table as he hatefully glared at L, "This doesn't make any sense. Even if there's a way for me to get out of the void, why are you the one telling me this? I killed you."

L coldly met his gaze. "I'm well aware of how I died, Kira-kun. Hasn't it occurred to you yet that I'm the only who considered helping you? Everyone else you knew wants nothing to do with you."

Light froze then slowly sank back down to his chair while the detective continued, "I had to pull a lot of strings just to see you and even though you don't realize it, one-hundred years have already passed on earth since you died. For all the good deeds that I've managed to pull, I was granted this opportunity to help you."

"I'm sorry." Light quietly stated.

"No, you're not. Kira is never sorry."

Light opened his mouth to retort but then he just sighed. "I don't understand why you're doing this. You know that I'm-was Kira… You have no logical reason to help me."

"That is true. But this is one of my selfish decisions."

"What?" Light paused before daring to ask, "Why?"

L laced his hands together on top of his knees as he bluntly announced, "My heaven was incomplete because you weren't there."

Light's eyes widened in shock. Then he chuckled nervously, "Of course, L. Are you sure that it wasn't your hell that was incomplete?"

That serious expression was still on L's face. "Light-kun is my first ever friend. My heaven is incomplete without him. That's really the only reason why you're being given a second chance at life."

Within a second, Light's mind began rushing through possibilities, marvelous possibilities. _I could use this to finally become a God. If L helps me come back to life, all I have to do is get my hands on a Death Note again and-_

A fork unexpectedly zoomed through the air and hit Light's head. "Ow!" Light winced before glaring at the crouching assailant across the table. "What the hell, L?!"

"I did not like Light-kun's expression." L bit on the end of his thumb. "When Kira becomes excited, his eyes narrow. And before you beginning plotting to use me for your gain, you need to know the rules of your reincarnation."

Light confidently folded his arms and leaned back against his chair, "Okay, what are they?"

L smirked. "This new life will be much harder than your old one, Light-kun. You will not have the same family and you won't be spoiled. Yet your soul, your personality, and even your appearance will be exactly the same because you have not progressed at all like other spirits do. And, of course, you won't remember your previous life or anything about the Death Notes. But in some point in your life, you will come across another Death Note. If you use a Death Note this time, Light-kun, you'll die tragically again and your soul will completely disappear."

"But if I'm basically the same then I'll use it again."

"There will be one difference. You'll meet me first." L's pitch black eyes bore into him. "I've been granted permission to be reincarnated with mostly identical characteristics as well. And I'll do everything in my power to keep you from making the same mistakes."

"Using the Death Note wasn't a mistake," Light stubbornly claimed.

L's eyes lowered as he sighed. "I'm sure that Light-kun still believes that, but after we are reincarnated I hope to change his mind."

_It won't work. My resolve is final. As soon as I can get my hands on a Death Note, I'll kill you again, L._ Light merely gazed back at the doomed detective. "What would you say is the chance of outcome you want?"

"There is approximately a 2.4 percent chance that you will go to heaven, Light-kun."

"Then why bother?" Light scoffed.

"Because it is a 2.4 more percent chance than doing nothing."

Light simply stared back at L for a moment. It was official…L genuinely cared. Light broke eye contact with the fool. But unfortunately, he had turned his head away to face the large screen and the computer chair that L had fallen from. Light scowled at the damn mocking chair. Out of all of the places that L could have created, he had to choose this one.

"Light-kun is frustrated because he does not understand my actions," L's voice sounded as cool and collected as ever. 

"I killed you," Light muttered with no pride.

"Yes, and I've always wondered if Light-kun was truly happy after my demise."

Light turned to face L again. "…Kira was."

"And Light-kun is Kira."

Light merely nodded in agreement. If they were both still alive, Light would be lying about now and auguring with L for not believing him. But this time, he could only nod nonchalantly.

L suddenly announced, "Also Light-kun should know that everyone else who has ever used a Death Note is going through the same test. In order to grant you a second chance, I was forced to take fairness into account so you will most likely meet them all again."

"Will my family be alive again at the same time as me?"

A look of surprise was evident on L's face. "Yes, but they won't be your relatives. Light-kun has never shown real interest in his family before-"

"I was just wondering," Light cut him off. "So when is this test taking place?"

L stood up while tilting his head towards the door. "As soon as we leave this room."

Light turned to gaze at the exit as he stood up. The tall metal door appeared quite ordinary yet Light couldn't remember that exit ever being there before. With his back hunched over, L casually walked towards the mysterious door. "Once we leave, our memories will be erased and our new lives will begin."

Filled with anticipation, Light headed towards the exit as his mind raced. _I'm finally leaving the void. L can call my new life all he wants but nothing will change. Eventually I'll come across a Death Note again. This is nothing more than my second chance of saving the world as Kira._ Light stopped in front of the exit where he stood beside L. Neither of them moved to open the door. Light glanced over at the lanky man next to him. It was ironic; Light had worked so hard to bring about L's death while L had been working to bring Light back to life. It would've been easier to call L a fool for doing this. But L was no fool; he was a genius and the only man who had Light's respect.

L was reaching for the door when Light suddenly asked, "Don't you hate me?"

The dark-haired detective froze with his hand around the door's handle. Light mentally scolded himself for asking such a pointless question. Neither of them were going to remember this conversation so what did it matter. It was just a thoughtless impulse to ask that question because…Light wanted to know. He _really_ wanted to know. And he wanted to hear the answer straight from L. Yet the strangest part was that Light didn't even know what answer he was looking for.

"I hate the crimes that Kira has committed. But, no, I don't hate you, Light-kun." L unexpectedly smiled as he turned the handle on the door. "It's true that you are my first ever friend, but for me to accept you regardless of that…I think my affection for Light-kun is more profound than a simple friendship."

Light watched L in disbelief, focusing all of his attention on the odd detective instead of the exit. Suddenly, L pulled on the handle causing the door swing open. A blinding white light shone through the doorway as everything around them began to fade out.

But Light didn't wince from the overwhelming white glow. He stood still facing L in shock. Because it wasn't the bright light that amazed him. It was the last words that L had mouthed.

_"I love you."_

Everything disappeared into nothing.  



	2. Family

"Ma'am, I wanted to talk to you about your son." The middle school principal sat at her desk with her arms folded neatly in front of her.

"Oh, god. Is Light failing again?" The blonde woman in a chair across from the desk sighed.

"Uh, no. Actually the counselor discovered that he's quite special."

"Is he retarded?" she crudely asked.

"No, Ma'am." The principal practically seethed through her teeth, "It turns out that Light had dyslexia this whole time. We helped him finally overcome the problem about two weeks ago. Didn't he ever tell you about it?"

The woman wearing black leather shrugged. "He's kind of solitary."

The principal gazed at her disapprovingly for awhile, before she continued, "Anyway, Light has the highest grades in our entire school now."

"So why did you call me here?"

"I think that Light would benefit greatly if you'd enroll him a more…challenging school."

"Which costs more," Light's mother finished the sentence with an irritated tone.

"Well, yes. But Light is learning at such a fast pace now. No one else can keep up with him-"

"He'll stay here." the blonde woman pressed her dark, stylish sunglasses over her eyes before collecting her purse and standing up to leave.

Light watched them through the large crack in the principal's office door. He had heard everything and his mother's reaction didn't surprise him. Light backed away from the door as his mother came storming out. The principal continued calling out to her, but his mother just ignore her.

"Come on, Light. Your sister's waiting," his mother ordered as she left.

Light gave the principal an apologetic smile before following his rude mother down the hall. This middle school was a rundown, hideous place. With wallpaper peeling off the sides of the hallway and pieces of carpet missing on the floor, it was amazing that this school hadn't been shut down. Light was thirteen and he couldn't wait until high school, where the poor middle school students mixed with the richer ones.

He walked next to his mother with his eyes fixated on the filthy carpet. "You could have afforded it."

"You know that I haven't been working lately."

Light scoffed, "It's no like you have a real job. Just steal more."

"Watch your mouth," the blonde thief hissed.

In response, Light merely pointed at a dusty security camera in the corner. "None of them work, you know."

His mother visibly relaxed but still scolded him, "Never mention my job outside of our home."

"Yes, Ma'am," Light routinely replied, then they continued to stroll in silence. Eventually, they exited the worn-out gray building and headed into the parking lot. Once his mother's sleek black sports car came into view, Light scowled.

"I know the real reason why you didn't let me leave that school," he accusingly stated.

His mother just sighed. "Your sister is very attached to you, Light. Besides you know how horribly she'd do at a better school if I transferred you both."

Light didn't bother to answer. His older sister had always been the favorite child. She was never denied what she wanted. And she wanted him, perhaps to an unhealthy extent. As they closed in on the car, Light's sister opened the car down and rushed out.

"Liiiiiight!" A girl in gothic attire threw her arms around him. "Misa hopes that you're alright. Was the principal mean?"

"No," Light bitterly muttered before getting in the back seat of the car.

Misa gave their mother a hopelessly confused look while the blonde thief advised, "Just ignore him, Misa. Come on, let's go home."

###

The screaming began almost as soon as they walked through the door of their small apartment. Aiber was sitting at the kitchen table by the entryway. He had obviously waited for their return and from the furious expression on his face, Light knew what was coming.

"I checked your cell phone bill, Wedy. Who the hell keeps texting you?!"

"None of your business, you fucking control freak!" Wedy snapped.

Light noticed Misa flinch anxiously beside him. She never handled the fights well. Eventually, Light learned to tune them out, but Misa would usually cry during brawls like these. Aiber and Wedy were shouting at the top of their lungs now. It was a normal occurrence for Aiber to accuse Wedy of cheating. Since they were both European, it was obvious that Light was born due to Wedy's affair with a Japanese man. Although Misa looked Japanese as well, she was born before Wedy and Aiber got married. Light knew that's why Misa was the favorite one. She wasn't a product of the affair that destroyed their family.

Misa practically jumped when Aiber smashed his fist onto the table.

"Let's just go to our rooms," Light said quietly. "This is going to last for awhile."

Misa shakily nodded before they fled down the hall and into their individual rooms.

Light finished the rest of his homework in about ten minutes. Back when he was labeled as stupid, it took him hours to finish anything. Light neatly stacked his papers then placed them in a folder. He loved being the smartest one. Although it had always been that way, it wasn't until now that Light could actually use it. His intellect filled him with pride. There wasn't really anything else to be proud of. Light had always been ashamed of his family, especially Wedy and Aiber. The thief and the conman weren't exactly outstanding citizens. Besides they both hated him.

Light sat on his bed and stared out the window like he did everyday. Across the street, a perfect family lived in a two-story house. Everyday a little girl was walked home from school by her mother. They would disappear into their house for a few hours until a police car would park in their driveway. Before the policeman could even reach the door, his daughter would come running outside to give him a hug. Light wished he had a family like that. A caring mother, an innocent sister, and a respectable father-a policeman…

Even though Light was raised by criminals, he hated them. There was something about criminals that just disgusted him and he wanted them to be wiped off the face of the earth. Light held his head in his hands. He knew that he shouldn't think like that. _They're still my family._ From inside his room, Light could hear Aiber and Wedy's fight escalating. _And I hate my family._

Light suddenly heard a faint tapping on his door. He already knew who it was. Light sighed then opened his bedroom door, allowing Misa to pounce into his arms. Although she was the older sibling, she never acted like it.

"M-Misa can't take it anymore." She buried her face into his shoulder and started crying.

Light frowned, but guided her into his room anyway. He quickly shut the door, trying to shield them from the screaming. Misa still clung onto him with tears rolling down her face. He led to her over to his bed, then they both sat down.

"I'm sure that Aiber will leave again soon," Light coldly informed her.

"But Misa doesn't want him to go," Misa whined pathetically. "Misa just wants them to stop yelling."

"Sooner or later they'll get a divorce and you won't have to hear it anymore."

"No!" She tightly clutched his arm. "Misa's family can't break up!"

 _It's already broken._ Light decided to keep his mouth shut and let her cry for awhile. The hysterical girl leaned onto him so much that eventually he fell onto his back with Misa blubbering on his chest. Light just laid there for few minutes with his sister on top of him.

Finally Misa stopped crying and lifted her head to gaze down at Light. "Even if Mom and Aiber do break up, promise Misa that we won't."

"Aiber isn't either of our biological fathers. Our mother would get custody of us both."

"Misa knows that but…" She bit her bottom lip and gave him a strange look. "Misa loves you, Light."

 _This is getting annoying. I need to get her off._ "Yes, Misa. I love you too." Light started to push himself up.

His sister let out loud squeal before throwing her arms around his neck. This caused Light to fall onto his back again. Misa positioned herself to sit on his lap as she leaned in closer to his face.

"Misa is so happy. She was afraid of your reaction."

Light immediately stiffened. _Did I misinterpret something?_

Once she lowered her mouth near his own, Light quickly shoved her off. Misa fell off the bed and landed on the floor with a loud thud. Then Light stood up and backed away from her.

"What's wrong?!" Misa whined as she got to her feet, "Don't you love Misa?!"

"Not like that!" Light shouted, panicking. "You're my sister!"

"Misa knows that!" She hid her face in her hands. "But she can't stop thinking about you. She wants you so badly. Misa knows in her heart that you belong with her!"

Light was officially freaked out. He could only stand there in shock and watch his older sister ramble on.

"Misa knows that it's forbidden! She knows that it's wrong!" Tears streamed down her face. "But Misa loves you! She always has and she always will! You're not supposed to be Misa's brother!" She wiped at her eyes and said with a pitiful voice, "Misa thinks that she's being punished… Because she wants you so badly and she can't have you."

"You're not being punished," Light forced himself to reply.

"Yes, Misa is! And you are too!"

Light didn't have anything to say to that. She wasn't acting rationally at all. He broke eye contact with her and stared at the floor until Misa tearfully fled the room. Luckily, Aiber and Wedy were still screaming, so they had no idea that his sister had tried to kiss him.

###

It was ten-thirty at night when Aiber finally stormed out of the apartment. The welcome silence helped Light clear his head. He always knew that Misa was obsessed with him, but not to this extent. Then Light finally left his room to grab something to eat from the kitchen. He walked through the hallway as quietly as possible, but his mother still noticed him.

"Light." The blonde thief was sulking in a recliner with a wine glass in her hand. "You know that Aiber named you, right?"

"Yes, I know," Light answered as he opened the pantry door.

"It's your fault that he hates me."

Light's hand froze just above a bag of chips. His heart sunk for a moment, then he chided himself for caring and grabbed the food. He intentionally ignored his mother as he headed back towards his room.

"I wish that you were never born." His mother gulped down more wine.

He stood still for a moment, but restrained himself from shouting at her. Then Light forced himself to calmly stroll into his room and close the door. He flung the bag of chips on his desk since he had lost his appetite for obvious reasons. Light turned off the lights and collapsed on his bed.

It was only in darkness when Light permitted himself to cry, yet he had no tears. He used to cry a lot when he was little. But now all of the sadness from his childhood had transformed into hatred. He hated everything, including whining. So he padded around in the darkness until he found the remote.

Light turned on the small television that was on his desk and routinely flipped through channels. He stopped on one channel that had a breaking news segment on.

On the screen, a Japanese female reporter announced excitedly, "The serial rapist and murderer was caught today in Tokyo. He had at least thirty victims and the police had to recruit the famous 6th L for assistance. Sadly the 5th L was assassinated earlier this week, but the newest replacement has proven to be just as helpful as the previous ones."

In a fit of rage, Light turned off the remote and hurled it across the room. He hated the very mention of L because everyone knew that 3rd L had caught Kira or as they claimed in the text books, _Light Yagami_. Light was named after Kira as an insult from Aiber. It was like a Jewish man naming his child Hitler. It was humiliating.

His resolve to remain unemotional began to waver as he felt his eyes stinging. Light stubbornly took in deep breaths, refusing to cry. He laid on his side and gazed through the window again at the house where the perfect family lived. It was at times like these when Light actually considered Misa's irrationally claims.

What if he was being punished?


	3. Beauty

The word vain didn't even begin to describe Misa. It seemed like her appearance was all that mattered to the ditzy girl. Light had always found that extremely annoying. But his irritation had reached a new level today. His sister actually dragged him to a shopping mall for the model tryouts. He was forced to sit and watch for hours as emaciated teenage girls pranced down the runway. It was painfully boring. After Misa's audition, she even pestered Light to tryout too. Of course, he refused. Light may like to look nice but modeling was a little too far.

When the tryouts were over, Light and Misa started heading back toward the nearby apartment buildings. They strolled down the street together while Misa rambled obnoxiously the whole time.

"Misa knows that she'd only be modeling for some stupid charity event, but it'd look great on a future resume. Soon she'll be more famous than even the master model, Misa Amane. Misa will smash Amane's popularity in comparison. Her face will be on televisions and magazines and-"

He cut her off, "Do you even know why everyone remembers Misa Amane?"

"Uh, because…she was a great model?"

Light sighed. Not only was his sister vain, but she was stupid as well.

"You should try modeling too, Light! You'd be so good at it!" Misa exclaimed excitedly.

"I told you before that I'd only take a job that requires intelligence."

His sister made a pouting face that failed to be cute. "You're such a nerd." She suddenly flung her arms around his neck. "But Misa loves you anyway!"

Light immediately stiffened when Misa hugged him. Even though the embrace was harmless, Light felt uncomfortable whenever she touched him. Ever since that night when she confessed her unorthodox feelings towards him, nothing's been quite the same.

Once Light opened the front door, he braced himself for their mother's reaction. Light and Misa hadn't set a foot into the apartment before Wedy hurled a wine bottle into the wall next to them. Misa shrieked in terror as the glass shattered loudly. Light took a deep breath, then led Misa inside and closed the door behind them.

Their mother still sat in the same recliner with empty wine bottles surrounding her. Wedy's blonde hair was matted and her bloodshot eyes had dark circles around them. She took another swig out of a wine bottle, then glared hatefully at Light.

"It's all your fault. He's not coming back because of you," Wedy spat before she started crying again.

It's been a whole week since Aiber left. Usually he came back after only a day or two. But now it seemed like their marriage was finally over and Wedy was an emotional wreck.

"Come on, Mom needs time alone." Light guided Misa down the hall towards their rooms.

###

Light slept peacefully in his bed until a strange smell woke him. He laid on his side with a blanket covering most of his head while trying to distinguish that scent. Then loud crackling sounds began. Light jolted out of bed and gasped. Smoke was seeping through the cracks in his bedroom door. _There's a fire!_

He rushed toward his door and checked the heat of the doorknob with the back of his hand. _It's safe to open._ Light swung the door open and spotted the flames surrounding Misa's room. He froze for a moment with his body refusing to listen to his mind. But once Misa screamed, Light snapped out of it and hurried down the hall. Then he noticed his mother leaning against the wall and watching the flames in a daze. _Why isn't she doing anything?!_ Light shoved his mother out of the way and stood in front of the raging flames around Misa's opened bedroom door.

Beyond the fiery blaze and smoke, Light spotted Misa who was trapped inside the room.

"LIGHT! HELP!" Misa cried out in a panic. Then she tried to move closer to him. "PLEASE LIGHT-!" The roar of the flames drowned out her voice.

Someone else in the apartment building must have called the fire department by now, but they probably wouldn't make it in time. _If I don't do something, she's good as dead._ Light quickly ran into the bathroom and turned on the shower. Then he disconnected the shower head from the wall and hurried back into the hallway. The cord that attached the shower head to the wall became taut as Light yanked it as for as it would go.

"I'm coming, Misa!" Light sprayed the water onto the fire.

But instead of extinguishing the flames, the water only caused the overwhelming blaze to spread rapidly. _An alcohol fire?!_ He instantly flung the shower head aside.

Light furiously shouted at his dazed mother, "You did this!"

Wedy stayed leaning against wall with a blank look on her face. The flames crackled loudly then Light turned to see Misa trying to spot them through the blaze.

"Misa, stand back!" Light hollered before he froze in horror.

All he could hear was Misa screaming when some of the blaze caught onto the left side of her face. Light could see her trying to pad the fire off with her hands as her shrieking escalated. _This can't be happening…_

Then Light felt a strong hand grab onto his shoulder and forcibly turn him around.

Light's eyes widened, "Aiber?"

His step-father snatched Wedy's hand and pushed her toward Light as he shouted, "Take your mom and get out of here!"

"But Misa-!"

"I'll get her out too. Now GO!" Aiber shoved Light out of the hallway along with Wedy.

Light turned to give Aiber one last glance before he grabbed his drunken mother's arm and dragged her out the front door.

###

The clock in the hospital's critical wing seemed to move in slow motion. Light had been sitting in the waiting room for hours. He and his mother didn't have any injuries, but the same couldn't be said about Misa. Half of her face was burned and she was in critical care at the moment. Light held his head in his hands. He still couldn't believe what Aiber did. The conman actually came back. Even though Aiber was ordered to stay out of the burning building, he rushed in and saved Misa…at the cost of his own life.

Wedy was bawling in the chair next to him. Light glared at the careless woman. _There's no way that she can blame me for this one. Dumb bitch._ Supposedly, the intoxicated idiot decided to light a cigarette with a wine bottle sloshing around in her other hand. _How could she be so stupid?!_ Light angrily clenched his fists. 

Finally, a doctor came and led them to Misa. Wedy fell to the ground in tears as soon as she saw her daughter. Light merely winced. Misa was asleep in the hospital bed. One side of her face wore a pained expression while the other side was completely scorched.

"God," Light muttered as he turned away.

Yes, he definitely believed Misa now. They were being punished.

###

Misa tried to kill herself the next day.

Light didn't see it, but he heard the doctor tell his mother what had happened. According to the nurse's reports, they had found Misa trying to jump out of the ten story window. The medical staff had to restrain her by tying her down to a bed. When Wedy asked if they could see Misa, the doctor said no. He explained that Misa had begged for no one to see her because of her face. And that she even begged to be killed.

In their temporary apartment, Light sat on the floor of his new room, leaning back against the wall. First, Aiber died and now Misa probably will too. Light banged the back of his head against the wall in frustration. _I can't take this anymore!_

He knew how vain Misa was and if they couldn't fix the left side of her face, she would kill herself eventually. Light remembered that the doctor had mentioned a kind of operation that could restore her face to way it was exactly before. It was a new operation and very few people had it done. But it was also extremely expensive. Light would pay for it if he could. But there weren't any jobs available for thirteen-year-olds in a busy city like this. Even if there were jobs he could acquire, none of them would pay well. The money from Aiber's will could've paid for it, but in a fit of rage he had the will changed.

If Misa's face was going to be fixed, it was all up to Wedy. But the stupid woman was so depressed that she couldn't even get out of bed. Light let out a long sigh before standing up and leaving his room. He staggered into the kitchen and passed by a briefcase on the counter. Light recognized the briefcase instantly. It was where Wedy would store all the plans for her robberies. But usually she had the briefcase hidden and now that it was in plain sight. Light deduced what that meant.

Wedy wasn't going to take the next job. Light slammed his fist on the counter. Wedy had a chance to save her daughter and she wasn't going to take it! Hell, it was even Wedy's fault that Misa was hurt in the first place!

Light gazed over the black briefcase until he finally opened it. All the blueprints of a nearby museum were inside. Whoever wanted Wedy to do this, had made everything so easy for her. Even a child could probably pull this off if he was smart enough.

An idea struck Light as he froze. _I could do this. This isn't like a truly horrible crime like murder or rape. I'd only be stealing… And if I do nothing, I'll be allowing my sister to die when I could be doing something to stop it. That's right, I'm saving a life. Some artifact in a museum can't possibly be more important than a person's life. I'm doing the right thing, the humane thing._

Light took out the museum's blueprints and determinedly skimmed through them.


	4. Brilliance

The ancient jewel sparkled in the moonlight as it laid on a velvet cushion on top of a Greek-style podium. The red beams of light which triggered the alarms were visible now. Light was quietly maneuvering around them and heading towards the podium.

He had no idea that stealing was so easy. The guards didn't put up much of a fight at all. All Light had to do was sneak close enough to them before he could cover their mouths with a handkerchief full of chloroform. And of course, his face was masked so they couldn't identify him when they woke up. Light was wearing all black along with a black cloth mask which had holes for his eyes. He had just purchased these clothes only about an hour ago while he was busy studying the museum's blueprints. Light knew the whole layout of this building now and he also discovered quickly where all of the alarms were. If anything, breaking into the museum had actually been kind of…fun.

But Light shook that thought out of his mind as he stood in front of the violet jewel. He had already decided that he was going to pay this museum back as soon as he was old enough to get a real job. Light scanned over the pedestal until he spotted where there was small fragment of the podium sticking slightly out of place. Light chipped off the white paint with his thumb and found a hidden button. _Too easy. How could Mom ever complain about jobs like these?_

Light immediately pulled the button out of its socket then he yanked some of the wires out with his gloved hands. The wires snapped, causing the invisible triggers around the jewel to shut off. Then Light simply snatched the jewel off the podium and turned to walk out.

The briefcase also had a location where Wedy was supposed to deliver the jewel in exchange for some cash. So Light strolled down the empty street at three o'clock in the morning toward the exchange point. His mask and gloves were off and the jewel was safely placed inside his pocket. Up ahead, Light spotted a man in a bright red jacket just like the letter in the briefcase had promised. The man was standing on a bridge with a cell phone to his ear.

Light walked onto the concrete bridge and headed toward the middle-aged man. The man hung up his phone then turned to face at him.

"I'm here to make a delivery for Wedy." Light wrapped his hand around the jewel in his pocket.

"No, you're not." The man replied strangely.

Light's heart skipped a beat. "What do you mean?"

The Asian man in the red jacket held up his cell phone. "Wedy just called to say that she wasn't stealing anything tonight."

"Oh." Light took the jewel out of his pocket. "But I'll still be paid for bringing this, right?"

The man's eyes widened in amazement. "How did you get that?" 

"The same way Wedy would get it," Light shrugged. "So, can I trade this for some money or not?"

"Of course." The middle-aged man grabbed a wad of cash out of his red jacket and handed it to Light. In return, Light gave him the jewel while flipping through the money with a sense of pride.

The man admired the jewel in his hand for a while then he glanced at Light. "You couldn't have stolen this unless you had the briefcase. How do you know Wedy?"

"It doesn't matter." Light shoved the money into his pocket. "It was a pleasure doing business with you."

When Light turned to walk away, the man suddenly grabbed his arm. "Actually, it does matter. Wedy turned down the job because it was supposed to be difficult."

"What are you talking about? It was easy." Light yanked his arm out of the man's grip.

"Four other professional thieves tried stealing from that same museum and failed. All of the alarms were supposedly impossible to decode."

"Well, I did it. And everything turned out fine, so I'm leaving now," Light stated firmly before hurrying away.

The man called out from behind him, "We should do business again some time!"

Light started to run down the street. That man seemed far too interested in him.

###

When Light finally reached his temporary apartment, it was five o'clock in the morning and he was exhausted. Light took out his spare key and unlocked the front door. He expected the apartment to be completely dark. But surprisingly his mother was sitting on the couch with a bright lamp beside her.

"Where were you?" Wedy immediately asked.

"Why do you suddenly care?" Light snapped at her. He had lost all respect for the woman.

She sighed. "The DN13 called me."

"Who?"

His mother stood and yelled indignantly, "It's a gang who commits organized crime, Light! That little stunt you pulled really impressed them! They even want you to join them now!"

"I'm not going to steal again," Light claimed as he pulled the wad of money out of his pocket. "This should pay for most of Misa's operation. We can get the rest of the money some other-"

Wedy stormed over and smacked Light across the face. "My son is NOT a criminal! You're supposed to be better than that, Light!" Tears actually formed in his mother's eyes. "Don't be like me…"

For the first time in at least a year, Wedy hugged her son. Light stood still in shock while his mother cried on him. He could feel his mother shaking. _She's scared…_ Light realized nervously. _What have I gotten myself into?_

###

In the early evening, Wedy and Light started driving toward the hospital. Even though Wedy was still angry, she agreed to spend the ill-gotten money on Misa's operation. They were going to have a meeting with Misa's doctor today to schedule an appointment for the medical procedure.

Light sat in the passenger seat beside his mother who was still trembling. Wedy's hands were tensely holding onto the steering wheel and her eyes darted around frenziedly.

"Mom, I'm sorry," Light lied.

"Just don't talk to me right now." Her voice quivered with anxiety.

Light silently turned to gaze out the side-window. The sun had just set and it was becoming dark outside rather quickly. After about twenty minutes, they reached the hospital parking lot. Since all the spaces near the front were taken, Wedy parked their sports car toward the back. By now it was pitch black outside, except for the streetlights shining down on the parking lot.

Wedy and Light exited the car then started heading toward the hospital. Suddenly a large black van sped right in front of them and stopped, blocking their way. Wedy protectively grabbed Light's arm and yanked him behind her. The side-door on the van swung open, then three men in red shirts jumped out. Light instantly recognized one of the men from the exchange point.

"That's him." The familiar man pointed at Light.

Wedy frantically shouted, "Stay away from my son! He's not joining you!"

Light watched his mother with a surprised look on his face. _She's actually defending me._

"Calm down, Wedy." A tall man with a goatee pulled out a gun. "We don't want anybody gettin' hurt."

With the weapon out, the situation became a lot more real. Light could hear his heart pounding in his head as he stood still in terror. He could also feel his mother's grip tighten on his arm as she kept her mouth shut.

The tall menacing man smiled at Light. "You're pretty smart, boy. We could really use someone like you within our ranks. How about we make a deal?" He headed towards Light.

Wedy screamed loudly, "Stay the fuck away-!"

In a flash, the tall man pressed the end of his gun against Wedy's forehead. "One more word and I'll kill you."

"Leave her out of this." Light quickly broke free from his mother's grasp. "What kind of deal are you offering?"

Wedy gave Light a pleading look, but he ignored it. This was the only way to save his mother's life.

The man holding the gun smirked. "You'll automatically start off in the highest ranks of DN13. All you have to do is plan robberies. We'll have lesser people do the dirty work so your life won't be in danger at all. Hell, you can even plan the heists in a way where no one has to die." He threateningly pressed the gun closer into Wedy's skull. "And in return, your mom will be spared and your sister will be taken care of."

"Light, don't do it!" Wedy cried out.

The tall man brutally slammed the gun across Wedy's face. "I told you to shut up!" Then he dug the gun deeper into the side of her head. The man's finger twitched over the trigger like murdering her would make his day.

Light caved in, "Stop! I'll do it!" He lowered his gaze as he said in a defeated tone, "Just stop. I'll do whatever you want…"

The trigger-happy gang member chuckled. "That's my boy."

"No! Light-!" Wedy hollered before another gang member covered her mouth with his hand. His mother started thrashing and trying to get away, but the two other DN13 members held her back.

The tall man with a goatee put away his gun and placed a hand on Light's shoulder. "Come on, boy. The boss is waiting."

Light hesitantly allowed the man to lead him toward the black vehicle. Once Light stepped into the van, he knew that his life would never be the same. He was becoming what he hated, a criminal.

###

**One year later-**

Wammy's orphanage was a timeless place. The very first L was raised here, and so were most of those proceeding after him. The current L, or the 6th L, cherished this place like no other. L sat perched on top of a chair in front of his computer. He was scrolling through files of the newest cases from all around the world. Almost every country wanted his assistance.

L bit the tip of his thumb as his pitch black eyes scanned the files at a lightning fast speed. The famous detective had already solved sixty-two cases this month, which was slightly more than usual. L had been restless lately. The current Watari became so worried that he insisted on L coming back to the Wammy House for some rest. And, of course, L was working instead.

When the door to L's dark room opened, L turned in his chair to face Watari. L's face lit up once he spotted the plate of cheesecake in the elderly man's hand. Watari walked toward sugar addict. Just as L reached out to touch the plate, Watari swiftly moved it upwards above his head. L gave him a horrified look as if the old man had just shot a puppy.

Watari stated sternly, "You haven't slept in almost a week, L. And your behavior has been even more unhealthy than usual. I'm worried about you."

"I'm a grown man, Watari." L childishly bounced up towards the cheesecake. "Now give me that."

The elderly man sighed as he handed L the cheesecake. "I think you should try to slow down your pace a little. Or maybe you could take a few minor cases every now and then."

"I only take cases that interest me." L shoved a spoon full of cheesecake into his mouth.

Watari seemed slightly irritated now. "Can you at least tell me the reason for your recent behavior?"

L glanced back at the computer screen. "I'm afraid that I can't."

"And why's that?"

"I'm not sure what's bothering me either," L admitted. "But there's approximately a 34.7 percent chance that what I'm feeling is impatience."

"Impatience?" Watari sounded very tired as he advised, "Look, we all know that the purpose for passing down the original L's job is so that there will be opposition if a Death Note ever shows up again, but you can't spend your whole life-"

"I'm not waiting for a Death Note," L interrupted the old man. "I feel like I'm waiting for someone and he's incredibly late."

"He?"

"I suppose it could be a girl, but it's most likely a boy." L indifferently scrolled through the files. "I stopped sleeping because I kept having strange dreams about finally meeting a boy. His face seemed familiar yet I couldn't remember his name."

"Aren't you being a tad superstitious?"

"Perhaps." L stopped the cursor on the computer screen on top of a seemingly interesting case. He opened the file and read through the list of documents all surrounding information about one gang in Japan called DN13. The gangsters have been stealing from buildings that had some of the most complex security measures. It was highly unusual for a gang to have such ingenious planning…

L announced, "Watari, I think that I will take a more minor case for now."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, everyone! The whole story is done. It'll just take me awhile to move over all of the chapters


	5. Dreaming of You

_The shadowy figure sat crouched on top of a chair. Light could only see the dark-haired man's back. And surrounding the unknown man, there was an overpowering white glow. Light felt himself stretching out his hand toward the crouched figure. He wanted to reach the mystical white glow, but more importantly he wanted to reach that man…_

Light's eyes shot open as he laid in bed. Light sighed in frustration. He's been having that same dream for the past two weeks. It made him want to stop sleeping altogether if such a thing was humanly possible. Light got out of bed and threw on his clothes for the day. He wore the standard outfit for a DN13 gang member, which was a red shirt and a pair of jeans. Then Light took a gun off his dresser and concealed it underneath his shirt.

Light exited his room and immediately spotted the DN13 Boss down the hallway.

"Hey, Light. You know your job for today, right?" the older man with sleeked-back gray hair asked.

"Yes…Dad." Light hated calling the Boss that, but it was required of him to do so. When the Boss told you to do something, you did it or else the cops would find your corpse in an alley somewhere.

"It's already about ten o'clock. You should start heading to the park," Light's supposed father ordered before entering another room.

Light resentfully followed orders as always. After walking across the hallway and down the stairs, Light indifferently passed some of the other criminals as he left the warehouse. He strolled toward the nearby park, where he was to wait for a messenger.

Light's life had been a living hell for the past year. He was fourteen now, and he already knew all the inner-workings of the DN13. Light had planned countless robberies, all of which were successful. The Boss was so pleased that eventually he adopted Light as his own. But Light still clung to many of his same beliefs. In almost all of the heists, no one was even injured. And Light made damn sure that no one was killed. Even when Light plotted a bank robbery, he only had fake bombs strapped to the citizens' chests. Of course, everyone thought the bombs were real during the heist, even the thugs who were stealing. But after the gang members escaped with the money, the poor people discovered that it was all a trick. The Japanese police officers were pissed off, but the DN13 Boss found the whole thing hilarious.

Light walked across the street and entered the park. Today a messenger with the blueprints of the local art gallery was supposed to meet Light here. The park was fairly empty since most people were either at school or at work. Light wandered down the dirt path, which was surrounded by grassy hills and swaying trees. The autumn wind rushed by him, causing his light-brown hair to blow into his face. Light swiped his hair aside in annoyance, then stood frozen by the sight in front of him.

There was a dark-haired man who sat perched strangely on a wooden bench in the distance. _It's that same man._ Light felt like rushing toward the crouched man while feeling the exact same desire to run away. Yet instead Light only stood there with his eyes fixated on that familiar man.

###

L was bored. He had finally arrived in Japan and started working on the DN13 case, but Watari was still nagging him. The old man even tried hiding L's stash of sweets, which didn't end very well. L knew that his behavior was unhealthy, but it's _always_ been unhealthy. Besides L was twenty years old, and if he wanted to be a workaholic then he was going to be one! And just like the mature man he was, L was out in a random park, pouting. L chewed on the end of his thumb as he sat crouched on top of the bench. His body was twitching slightly. L deduced that it probably from the extreme lack of sleep due to those odd dreams.

Then L glanced at the wooden table near him, where a chess board had been left out. L had a sudden urge to play but the only people that could last in a game of chess with him for over five minutes were at the Wammy House. Giving up on the chess board, L turned to stare in the other direction and spotted something completely unexpected.

There was a teenage boy who standing in the distance and staring at L with wide eyes. L tilted his head to the side in amusement. Then L became surprised as well once he recognized the boy's face. _He's the one from my dreams._

Before L could make any movement at all, a large man suddenly charged down the sidewalk and slammed the familiar boy against a tree.

###

The thug from a rival gang had Light pressed against a tree by his throat. Light struggled for air while the large man in a blue shirt choked him mercilessly.

"Where is the DN13 hideout?" The muscular man demanded in a hushed voice.

He loosened his grip slightly so Light could answer, "I have no idea what the hell you're talking about."

"You little piece of shit! I know you do!" The thug in blue violently tightened his grip around Light's throat.

The crazed gangster kept shouting angrily while Light moved his hand toward his back, where the gun was hidden beneath his red shirt. Right as Light was about to pull out his weapon, the rival gang member released him. Light took in deep breaths of air, then turned to see the pale dark-haired man pointing a gun at the thug.

The black-haired man held the gun in one hand nonchalantly. "I believe that you should step away from the young man or else I may have to shoot you."

Light gaped at the strange man for acting so calm. Meanwhile the large thug cursed, then started running away.

The pale man glanced at Light. "Do you wish to press assault charges?"

"No," Light quickly replied, knowing that the police's involvement would only complicate matters.

Then the dark-haired man tucked his gun away under his white shirt as he asked, "May I know your name?"

"It's Light."

The pale man's black eyes lit up with interest. "What's your last name?"

"It's not Yagami." Light deduced that this man already knew the origin of his name.

The strange man smiled happily. "Light-kun followed my train of thought."

 _Of course, I did._ Light felt like saying but settled on asking, "And who are you?"

"You can call me Ryuzaki." He gave Light an ironic smirk as if that name meant something.

Light watched Ryuzaki with a puzzled look on his face. Then the pale man suddenly grabbed the end of Light's shirt and yanked it up.

"Ah!" Light quickly swatted Ryuzaki's hands away and pulled his shirt down in a hurry. "What the hell?!"

Ryuzaki gave him a curious look. "I was only confirming my suspicion. Why does Light-kun carry a gun?"

Light instantly snapped out of his childish embarrassment and answered seriously, "For protection. It's obviously not safe around here with all the gang warfare."

"And why did that man in blue attack you so suddenly, I wonder?"

"He mistook me for a gang member, which I'm not. Even if I wanted to be one, I'm too young to do anything for them," Light lied.

Ryuzaki merely nodded as if he didn't quite believe him.

Light acknowledged that this situation was getting dangerous. Ryuzaki was either a spy for a rival gang or he was most likely working with the police somehow. There were no other explanations for the possession of his gun and his behavior.

"Anyway, thanks for your help. I probably won't be able to repay you but-" Light knew adding that last sentence was a mistake.

"I know how Light-kun can repay me."

###

Luckily, the messenger was late because Light was actually enjoying himself. He sat across from Ryuzaki at a wooden table as they played chess. Ryuzaki was using the white pieces and Light was using the black ones. The game had already lasted for about an hour and there were only a total of five pieces on the board left. After stalling for about five minutes, Light finally moved his black queen. Ryuzaki smiled excitedly as if he was hoping for Light to do that.

 _Damn._ Light watched helplessly as his queen was taken out. The game was as good as over. Now that Light had lost his most powerful piece, it was only a matter of time before Ryuzaki would win.

"Does Light-kun wish to concede?" Ryuzaki asked as he sat perched on his wooden bench.

Light decided to let his actions speak for him as he defensively moved his king.

Ryuzaki shrugged then moved his knight. This has been the most challenging game of chess in Light's life and he didn't want it to end. Light knew that this strange man must be a genius. Yet Light couldn't accept defeat from him, no matter how intelligent Ryuzaki was.

After the remaining chess pieces were moved all around the board, Light's black king was stuck in a position where it couldn't be placed anywhere without moving into check.

Light smirked, "It's a stalemate."

Unexpectedly, Ryuzaki started laughing. Light actually flinched from the sudden action. Ryuzaki's laugh sounded…weird. It mainly surprised Light because Ryuzaki seemed so inhuman before. And now that Light heard him laugh, it made everything more real.

"I'm sorry, Light-kun. I just find this so amusing," Ryuzaki grinned. "I've never played a game of chess that ended in a draw before. You're extremely talented."

"Thanks." Light couldn't help but smile. He normally didn't cherish praise. But a compliment from Ryuzaki was a different matter entirely. This man had won over Light's respect in only an hour, which was an impossible feat for anybody else.

Unfortunately, a man in a red shirt appeared behind Ryuzaki. Light knew that he must be the messenger. Ryuzaki caught Light staring behind him so he glanced over his shoulder.

"I have to go," Light stood up to leave.

Ryuzaki nodded. "Yes, that man in the same gang as you is waiting."

Light froze in shock, then laughed nervously, "Don't be ridiculous, Ryuzaki. I already told you that I'm not in a gang."

"There is a 57.3 percent chance that Light-kun is lying to me," Ryuzaki claimed in a detached voice. "There is also a 43.1 percent chance that you're the mastermind behind all of the DN13's latest robberies. It is a shame since you have such great potential."

Light's heart was pounding as he snapped, "Well, I think that there's 99.9 percent chance that you pulled those percentages out of your ass."

Ryuzaki merely sighed. "It's also a shame that Light-kun is so vulgar."

"I'm leaving now." Light angrily walked away.

"I look forward to seeing you again soon, " Ryuzaki called out from behind him. 

Light clenched his fists and stormed further into the park, among the trees so the other DN13 member could follow him undetected.


	6. A True Crime

Light's plan was perfect. As always he had worked out every possible flaw. Nothing would go wrong and the innocents would stay safe. Light confidently reassured himself of those facts as he sat in the back of the black van, the getaway car. It was eleven o' clock at night and the DN13 had already broken into the local art gallery. A group of three men were inside the tall building right now, busy stealing an ancient painting.

Meanwhile Light was stuck waiting in the van with a man who had always hated, Kurtz. That bastard still had the same goatee that he had a year ago when he pointed a gun to Wedy's head. Kurtz was the Boss's right-hand man and he was usually in charge of watching Light. Of course, Light normally followed orders anyway. Since the Boss could threaten the lives of his mother and sister at any time, Light was quick to please.

Kurtz lit a cigarette and started smoking, "Damn, what's taking them so long?"

Light peered through the tinted windows of the van, "I see them coming."

"Finally," Kurtz exhaled smoke into the air as he started the van's engine.

The side down of the van swung open as the three thugs jumped inside. Kurtz immediately drove away as fast as possible down the street. Meanwhile Light looked over the three men then gasped. One of the thugs, Symes was covered in blood…

"You son of a bitch! You killed someone!" Light instantly shouted.

Symes wiped some of the blood off his shirt uncaringly. "So? We got the painting."

Light lunged at the killer and snatched the collar of his shirt. "Fuck the painting! Who did you kill?! Why did you-?!"

"Knock it off, Light!" Kurtz called out from the driver's seat. "Did blood get on the painting?"

"No, it's fine." Another gang member held up the expensive painting,

Light continued to yell furiously, "Can you guys even hear yourselves?! Symes just murdered someone! Don't you care-?!"

Symes slammed his fist into Light's face. Light crashed onto the opposite side of the van. Wiping blood from his mouth, Light sat up and glared at Symes.

The killer threatened, "You better back off, kid. Or else, even your daddy, the Boss won't be able to protect you."

Light leaned against the wall and stood up, ready to attack Symes again.

Kurtz warned as he drove, "Light, know your place."

Light hesitantly stayed still while glaring at the murderer hatefully.

###

They were congratulating Symes. Almost every DN13 member was present at the warehouse tonight and they were all celebrating. The ancient painting would be sold tomorrow, which would give the gang a huge sum of money. The fact that someone died from the robbery was only an added bonus. They disgusted Light. He knew that his plan was perfect. There was no need for the killing. Yet Symes was basking in the glory of it all. That stupid thug who was in his late thirties and still hadn't done anything significant enough for a promotion, pretentiously stood among the group of criminals while being patted on the back. Symes didn't deserve any of that admiration. He only deserved to die.

Light sat in the corner of the vast room and watched the immoral heathens with contempt.

After about an hour of witnessing the heartless scum celebrate, Light couldn't take it anymore. None of them expressed of any kind remorse for whoever died this evening. Symes, in particular, was having the time of his life. And Light wanted to end it.

As Light leaned back in his chair, he could feel his gun pressing against his skin. He felt a sudden impulse to draw his weapon and kill Symes right there on the spot. But Light restrained himself and stood up to leave. He walked up the stairs and through the hallway, towards his room. On the way, Light could hear the Boss celebrating privately in another room with a whore.

 _God, I hate criminals._ Light angrily stormed into his room. After placing the tempting firearm on a dresser, Light sat on his bed. His room at the DN13 hideout was nice enough. Since the Boss had been so pleased with Light's planning, he was awarded recently with a television. Light turned on the TV and flipped through some channels until he stopped on a news station. After a male reporter droned on about the weather, the show changed its focus to crime scenes. Light waited anxiously for the reporter to mention the heist.

"Another robbery has taken place here at the local art gallery." A young female reporter stood in front the building. "The police believe that it's the work of the DN13 but not everyone is so sure. Usually that specific gang refrains from killing innocent people during the robberies. But tonight, a security guard and his family who had stopped by to visit him were shot and killed."

 _A whole family?!_ Light nearly fell to the floor in shock. The room seemed to be spinning around him. Symes killed a whole family…

The reporter continued, "Of course, the security guard's wife and daughter were not supposed to be at the art gallery tonight. But since it was the security guard's birthday, his family sneaked in to be with him. No one could have expected this horrible-"

Light turned off the television. His whole body was trembling and he could hear his heart pounding in his head. A whole family…was dead. Light banged his fist into the mattress. _Damn you, Symes! That massacre was needless! I know it was! What could that woman and her child possible do to threaten the heist in anyway?! You only did it because you wanted to! Because you thought it'd be fun to take the lives of those who follow society's rules, those who are purer, those whose lives are more important than yours! You don't deserve to live! No criminal deserves to live! They should all die! They should all be punished!_

Light's body was still shaking as he started taking in deep breaths. He knew better than to rely on the incompetent police force. If Light wanted justice, he had to do it himself. With his mind finally made up, Light headed toward the dresser and grabbed his gun.

Symes had no idea what was coming. Since the Boss was still busy upstairs, Light was able to deliver a fake message to a fellow gang member. Light told the man that the Boss wanted to promote Symes for his work tonight. He also explained that Symes was to meet the Boss outside for the business discussion right away. The messenger ignorantly agreed to tell Symes all about the arrangement.

###

It was around two o' clock in the morning and the quarter moon was shining in the sky. Light was silently waiting in the alleyway beside the warehouse. Symes would show up any minute now. Light felt for his gun to reassure himself. Although Light wasn't thinking too clearly due to his temper, he knew that the Boss wouldn't get very angry over this. Who knows? That psychotic old thug may actually be proud of him. Light shook off that thought. He knew that he was doing the right thing. Symes could not get away with murdering that family. Light wouldn't allow it.

Finally, the killer strolled into the alley, "Hey, Boss-Oh, Light? What're you doing here?"

Light glared at Symes as he stepped forward. "You killed three innocent people."

Symes groaned, "Aw, God. You're still going on about that. What's the big deal-?"

Light took out his gun and pointed it at Symes.

The thug froze with a shocked look on his face. "Alright, kid. Just put the gun down. The Boss will be here soon to give me a promotion. If you shoot me-"

"There is no promotion. It was a fake message to lure you out here," Light revealed.

Symes yelled, enraged, "What do you mean it's fake?! I've worked for that my entire fucking life!"

Light's finger twitched over the trigger. "Did you think killing those innocent people would get you promoted?"

"You naïve little fucker! Why else would I do it?!" Symes shouted, "Maybe I just wanted a little recognition! I've been working the DN13 way longer than you have! I deserve the-!"

**BANG!**

The bullet zoomed into Symes's skull with a sickening crack. Symes was dead before he even hit the ground. Light held his weapon with trembling hands. Something in Light had just snapped and he pulled the trigger without even thinking. He just wanted to give Symes what he deserved. His punishment.

After the initial shock of hearing the bullet crack through bone, Light felt a strange calm. It was as if he was meant to punish that man, like it was his duty.

The sound of the gunshot caused many DN13 members to rush outside. Some of Symes's friends started to charge at Light but they stopped once Kurtz came out. All the lower gang members stepped aside and allowed Kurtz to walk toward Light.

Kurtz smacked Light in the face. "What the hell is wrong with you?!"

Light merely gazed back at him with the weapon still in his grip. The Boss's right-hand man took the gun away and snatched Light by his arm. Kurtz furiously dragged Light back into the warehouse then up the stairs. A large group of men curiously followed them to the Boss's room.

"Boss, open up! We need to talk!" Kurtz banged on the door while keeping a firm grip on Light.

After a short delay, the gray-haired mobster opened the door. The Boss was still in a robe and he reeked of sex. "What do you want?" He looked extremely annoyed.

Before Kurtz could answer, another gang member in the crowd called out, "That little punk killed Symes!"

Then all the men in the crowd started shouting at once until the Boss ordered, "All of you, SHUT UP! Now who's Symes?"

Kurtz seemed completely shocked. "Sir, Symes's been in the DN13 for years."

"Oh." The Boss looked indifferent. "And who killed him again?"

"I did," Light finally spoke up. "I killed him, Dad. I shot him right through the skull, just like you taught me."

"Aw, that's great!" The Boss shone with pride. "You're finally over that pesky fear of murder. So you can start working on different kinds of jobs now. That's really good news, son."

Kurtz tightened his grip on Light's arm as he shouted, "Symes was one of us!"

"Well, he must've been pretty worthless if I can't even remember him. Anyway, now that I know about this great news, I'm going to have another round of celebrating." The Boss shut the door with a perverted smile on his face.

Light jerked his arm free, "I'm going now."

"You little bastard!" Kurtz slammed Light against the wall, "Who the hell do you think you are?! Do you think you're better than us! Huh?! You sick-!"

Light kneed Kurtz in the stomach then stole his gun back. Next Light pointed his gun to Kurtz face. "Symes needed to be made an example of. If any of you scum don't act according to my plans, the same will happen to you."

Light kept his weapon ready as he backed into his room. Once inside, Light locked the door and collapsed on his bed, feeling incredibly tired. Light stared at his gun for awhile, mesmerized by its sheer power to take another person's life. If only all criminals could be punished in mass amounts. Guns were effective but it was messy and left evidence. Light felt worried for a second as he remembered Symes's corpse. But then he relaxed again. He knew that Kurtz would take care of the body since it was so close the DN13 hideout.

He continued gazing at the deadly firearm. Light daydreamed for a few minutes of a world without criminals. Then he recalled the origin of his name with a sigh. Light Yagami also known as Kira. All of the textbooks called Kira insane, but history is written by the winners after all… The amount of crime had decreased when the threat of Kira was still present. Now that most people have forgotten all about Kira, there are more gangs now than ever before in Japan.

Maybe Kira wasn't quite as insane as everyone claimed.

###

L skimmed through the police reports on his laptop. Last night the DN13 had acted completely out of character compared to their earlier robberies. Usually the mastermind would make sure that his plans didn't harm the innocents involved. So, whoever planned the heist was obviously ignored and one of the lower members acted on their own. That must have made the mastermind, Light, furious.

Now L was trying to confirm a theory. A man in a red shirt was killed last night as well. L believed that the dead man was the same one who ignored the mastermind's orders. The corpse had been found under a bridge this morning and according to reports, the body had been moved there. The man in the red shirt had been killed somewhere else and L was positive that the mastermind had done it.

When L's cell phone finally rang, he picked it up with two fingers to answer it. "What is the status on the autopsy reports?"

"You were right, L. The dead man's DNA matches with the sample from the security guard's finger nails. We still aren't sure about the man's identity but we know that he was definitely a DN13 member."

"Thank you, that's all I needed to know." L quickly hung up and used his computer to run a search through every Japanese school system.

Luckily, the first name Light was extremely rare. L was able to pinpoint the middle school that Light was attending. But as L skimmed though the school records, he discovered that Light hadn't been going to school for the past year. The document claimed that he was supposedly being home schooled now. L bit on the edge on his thumb. _So this information is either false or Light's family must have a connection to the DN13 somehow._

###

"We're here," Watari announced from the driver's seat.

L placed his laptop down on the car seat beside him, then stepped out of the black vehicle. Then Watari stopped the engine and exited the car as well. L and Watari stood in front of the apartment complex where Light's mother supposedly lived.

Watari asked, "Must you meet her in person?"

"Yes." L headed into the building. "And you will call me Ryuzaki while we're here."

Within five minutes, they reached Wedy Morello's apartment. L knocked on the door and waited for a moment. Then a blonde woman with dark circles around her eyes opened the door.

"Who the hell are you?" Light's mother asked with a cigarette dangling from her mouth.

"My name is Ryuzaki," L peered behind her into the fifthly apartment, "I am looking for your son, Light-kun."

Wedy's eyes widened, "W-What? Why?"

"Does your son live here?"

"Of course, he does. But I don't know why he'd want to see you." Wedy was about to close the door.

L quickly showed her a police badge. "I have serious doubts that Light-kun is home-schooled here, Mrs. Morrello. I could have this place staked out to see whether or not Light-kun comes here. And if you're lying to the schools about his education, I could have you arrested."

The blonde woman paled. "Can we talk inside for a bit?"

L nodded and strolled into her apartment, followed by Watari. The place looked horrible. It was unbelievable that anyone could live in so much filth. Trash laid scattered on the floor along with empty wine bottles and beer cans. L scanned the walls and spotted a single family photo. In the picture, there was a younger version of Light, a happier version of his mother, a young girl, and a man who was probably Mr. Morrello. Yet both the adults looked European and the children were of Asian descent.

"Is this Light-kun's step-father?" L pointed at the photo.

"Oh, yes. And the girl next to Light is his older half-sister," Wedy gazed longingly at the family portrait.

L asked, "Do you live here alone?"

Wedy stalled before admitting, "Yes… My husband died a year ago and Misa lives with her biological father now."

"And Light-kun?"

The woman seemed very nervous as she changed the subject, "Why are you looking for Light anyway?"

"You know why. He lives with the DN13, doesn't he?"

Now Wedy was trembling. "I-I don't know what you're talking about-"

"I believe that Light-kun killed someone," L harshly announced

"No! You're wrong!" Wedy suddenly shouted before covering her face with her hands. Then she sat down on a couch as she started crying, "I wasn't always a bad mother. I-I used to be so good to him. I really tried but…"

She continued rambling while L sighed and perched beside her. Meanwhile Watari stood off to the side with a sympathetic look on his face.

"Mrs. Morrello," L asked, "Why does your son work for the DN13?"

"It's my fault," she sobbed, "They put a gun to my head and forced Light to join them. He-He didn't want to… I couldn't do anything. I couldn't even report him missing or else those bastards said they'd track down and kill my daughter."

"…I see. And they wanted Light-kun for his intelligence, correct? He planned robberies for them?"

"Y-Yes. Oh, God." Wedy latched onto L's arm, "Please don't throw my son in prison! It's not his fault. He doesn't belong there!"

"I promise that Light-kun will be treated fairly. But I need you to help us find the DN13 hideout-"

"But my daughter!"

"I'll contact the Witness Protection Agency for your daughter and yourself."

"Oh, thank you!" Light's mother cried on L's shoulder, "Please get my son back…" She stared at L with her tearful desperate eyes. "You'll save him, won't you?"

"Yes, Mrs. Morrello. I'll save him," L promised.


	7. Set up

Wedy's connections to others criminals turned out to be very useful. L discovered all about the robberies that she had committed. But the DN13 case was his main priority at the moment, so he let it slide. According to one of Wedy's contacts, a man had just arrived in this city in order to join the local DN13 gang. Supposedly the man was a part of another fraction of the DN13 in a different city that was less successful so he moved here. Wedy's contact revealed the man's location and L had him arrested right away.

The computer screen showed the man in a red shirt sitting on the floor of a cell. L sat perched on his chair as he turned away from the screen to face Wedy. Light's mother was sitting on the couch, nervously holding a cup of tea in her hands.

"Mrs. Morrello, are sure that the DN13 gang in this city has never seen this man?"

She nodded. "That's what my friend said. But this guy comes from a different fraction so he doesn't know where the hideout is either."

L picked up a red folder off his desk that had been confiscated from the imprisoned man. "This contains all the information about where that man was supposed to meet with some of the other gang members. If I were to place someone who works for me in that man's position, he would most likely be brought to the hideout."

"Like an undercover cop?" Wedy seemed confused. "But if you know where the gangsters will be waiting, then why not arrest them there?"

L sighed. "I could do that. But once the news of their arrests become publicly known, the important members will flee and they'll probably take Light-kun with them. Besides I will have a wire hidden on the undercover policeman so I will instruct him the entire time. Do you know if the DN13 keeps records of all their business deals at their hideout?"

"I'm not sure." She hesitated before asking, "Do you really think that you can get Light out of there?"

"Mrs. Morrello, I'm 96 percent sure that I can execute my plan and safely return Light-kun to you," L announced confidently then motioned for her to leave. "Now would be the appropriate time for you to go into hiding."

She stood up and bowed slightly. "Thank you, Ryuzaki." Then she left the room while Watari opened the door for her.

With Light's mother gone, Watari gave L a doubtful expression. "L, you know that I have outmost faith in your abilities-"

"Nothing will go wrong, Watari."

"If you make a mistake, you won't be the one paying for it. No police officer in his right mind would take a job like this."

L thumbed through the red folder. "Who said anything about hiring an intelligent police officer? An incompetent one would be better suited for this job anyway."

Watari seemed a little worried. "L, what exactly are you planning?"

###

Matsuda anxiously held the red folder as he stood alone in an alleyway. His hands were trembling slightly but he kept an iron grip on the red folder. Being asked by the 6th L to do a job was a huge honor. The other officers all looked surprised when L asked for him. Hell, Matsuda was surprised too. He never considered himself one of the best in the department but L must've wanted him some reason.

L's voice came through the ear piece, "Matsuda, you need to stay calm. The DN13 will believe that you are Yakuma Krisho, a hardened murder."

"Sorry, sir," Matsuda whispered before standing up straight and trying to appear more formidable. The façade may have been more believable if Matsuda's knees would stop shaking.

Luckily, when the thugs arrived, Matsuda completely froze so the trembling stopped.

###

Light had that same dream again. He felt as if Ryuzaki was haunting him. Light just couldn't get that strange man out of his head. Everything about Ryuzaki was simply… fascinating. From the way he sat to his amazing intelligence, Light was enthralled by Ryuzaki. But there was also the fact that Ryuzaki was most likely connected to the police, which made him dangerous.

After laying on his bed lazily for awhile, Light finally stood and got dressed for the day. With his outfit on, Light grabbed his trusty gun and concealed it underneath his red shirt. Supposedly, the DN13 was gaining a new member from another fraction today. Light didn't really care about who the man was. He only hoped that this one followed his orders better than Symes did.

Light exited his room and headed down the stairs. The Boss was lenient enough to allow Light to go to a coffee shop on the weekends. Once Light reached the large meeting room, he received murderous glares from many of the criminals. He ignored them as he left the warehouse.

While Light walked toward the street, he heard someone coming from behind him. Light immediately turned around, prepared to shoot if he must. To Light's surprise, it was a man who he had never seen before.

"I'm Matsuda," the man grinned nervously, "I'm an undercover cop."

_What?!_ Light's eyes widened in shock. _What the hell is going on?_

Matsuda continued to explain, "The other gang members think that I'm Yakuma Krisho but I'm just pretending to be him." He unexpectedly pulled out some pictures and showed them to Light. "This is my family. I'm really close to them and I've never broken the law in my life."

Light managed to ask, "Why are you telling me this?"

The undercover cop paused for a moment and put away his pictures. "Ryuzaki says that the game won't end in a stalemate this time."

Completely caught off guard, Light froze. He had no idea how to respond to that. _This man works for Ryuzaki?_

Suddenly the door to the warehouse opened and a thug called out, "Come on, Yakuma! Have a beer with us. We want to hear how the other fraction is doing."

"S-Sure." Matsuda walked into the warehouse and closed the door.

Light stood still for a moment as he processed everything in his head. Then the realization finally hit him. _Dammit! Ryuzaki knows! He knows that I planned those robberies and that I murdered Symes! He even knows my logic behind it! That's why he told Matsuda to reveal his identity to me because Ryuzaki KNOWS that I won't let criminals harm an innocent man! That bastard is using my own beliefs against me!_

Light furiously clenched his fists. _And Ryuzaki is betting that simpleton's life on his assumptions! Does Ryuzaki expect Matsuda to screw up?! Is he trying to force me into saving that cop?!_

_God dammit!_ Light ran a hand through his hair, feeling frustrated. He hated to admit it but Ryuzaki had him in checkmate.

###

Just like L ordered, Matsuda sneaked into the Boss's room. On the boss's computer, there were files containing incriminating evidence against the DN13. Matsuda's heart was pounding so fast that he felt faint. But he did exactly what L instructed him to do. He copied the files onto a flash drive.

Then the door opened and Matsuda felt his heart skip a beat.

Kurtz stood in the doorway. "What the fuck are you doing?"

"I-uh," Matsuda snatched the flash drive out of the computer and made a wild dash to the door.

But when Matsuda tried to move past Kurtz, the thug pulled out a gun and pointed it to Matsuda's head.

"You're coming with me." Kurtz pressed the barrel of the gun between Matsuda's eyes.

###

L watched from a small video camera that was implanted on Matsuda's shirt. He was couching inside a car with a laptop balanced on his knees. L, Watari, and a whole squad of policemen were positioned outside the DN13 hideout. L and Watari were inside a white van while the police were spread throughout the area in inconspicuous places like nearby coffee shops and book stores. They were all prepared to barge into the hideout as soon as L gave the word.

But L was stalling, partly because he wanted to see Light's reaction to the whole situation and also because he wanted Light to betray the DN13. If Light were to betray the gang, it would help him so much legally. So L waited while watching Matsuda's predicament on the computer screen.

He could see that Matsuda was now downstairs in the large room with the DN13's boss in front of him.

The elderly thug glared at Matsuda. "So he was copying our files?"

"Yes, sir," a gang member called Kurtz answered as he kept his weapon pointed at Matsuda.

"Then what are you waiting for? Kill him," the boss coldly ordered.

L quickly grabbed his cell phone to make the call, when suddenly he heard the boss shouting, "Light, what the fuck?!"

L gazed back at the screen to see Light pressing a gun to the boss's head. The detective smiled to himself. He knew that Light would pull through.

On the screen, Light was ordering, "Everyone drop your weapons or the boss dies."

For a moment, all of the thugs froze but they eventually started dropping their guns on the floor. Even though L couldn't see the entire room, he knew that Light was in control of the situation.

"Light, stop this right now!" the gray-haired boss yelled.

"Shut up!" Light dug the gun deeper into the old man's skull then glanced toward the camera. "Matsuda, leave the flash drive and get out of here."

_Oh, no. This won't do._ L spoke into the microphone that connected to Matsuda's ear piece, "Matsuda, listen. I want you to take out your gun and point it at Light-kun."

"W-What?" Matsuda stuttered.

"Just do it and repeat what I tell you."

Light gave Matsuda a confused look as he held his gun to the Boss's head. All of the gang members in the room were watching angrily with fire in their eyes. Light really hated Ryuzaki right now. But he couldn't turn his back on the innocent citizens. He would cling to his beliefs, even if it killed him. Light stayed focused on Matsuda who was strangely muttering to himself.

Unexpectedly, Matsuda took out his gun and pointed it at Light. "Keep your weapon where it is, Light-kun. I need to talk to you. Matsuda is communicating for me. You need to give up, Light-kun. I've already explained that a stalemate isn't an option this time."

_Ryuzaki…_ Light kept his gun to the Boss's head as he listened.

"Matsuda will walk out of here with the flash drive and you will come with him. You can hold the DN13's boss as a hostage until you reach the door. Your mother and sister are alive, Light-kun, and they want to see you."

_They're alive!_ Light knew that there was no point in arguing with Ryuzaki now. And, God, Light just wanted to get away from these criminals. "Alright, Ryuzaki. I concede."

Light started heading toward the door while forcing the Boss to come with him. Matsuda exited the warehouse first. Then Light whacked the Boss across the face with his gun before fleeing the DN13 hideout.

As Light rushed outside, he immediately spotted a crowd of police, surrounding the warehouse. One of the policemen grabbed onto Light and shoved him onto a car then roughly handcuffed him. While face down on a car, he could only hear the all the shouting coming from the warehouse. The police had obviously stormed into the gang's hideout. Even though Light was in shackles, he had never felt so free. He always thought that everyone in the police department was incompetent. But Ryuzaki had proved him wrong.

###

Light had no idea where he was. He was in a cell, but it was isolated from all the others. Actually, he didn't even think that the gang members were in the same building as him. Light had been transported here alone in an unmarked car while all the DN13 members were taken away in large police vans.

Light sat on the bed toward the back of the cell as he stared through the bars of the dark room. He was probably in a basement, but Light wasn't sure. He had been blind folded on the way to the cell. The only man that he seen so far in this place was an elderly man who was Caucasian and was most likely from Europe, or America. Light felt extremely uneasy. Ryuzaki knew that Light had killed Symes. That was probably why Light was in this cell right now and being treated like some lowly criminal.

When Light heard a door open, he spotted Ryuzaki walking toward his cell. Ryuzaki pulled a chair over and placed it in front of Light's cell, then he sat on the chair in his peculiar way.

Ryuzaki crouched as he intently stared at the teen. "You killed a man, Light-kun. I could have you thrown in prison for that even though you're still a minor."

"Then why was I separated from the DN13 if you think I'm as tainted as they are?" Light glared at Ryuzaki through the bars.

The black-haired man explained, "I have spoken to Light-kun's mother so I'm aware of the consequences if Light-kun refused the DN13's orders. You were trapped into creating plans for them. But no one forced you to kill a man, Light-kun. That was your own decision."

"I had to do it!" Light snarled at the detective. "That bastard killed a whole family! Someone had to punish him!"

"If Light-kun allowed him to live a little while longer, I would have arrested him for murder. And I would've made sure he was punished after a fair trial."

"Where the hell were you before?! The DN13 has been destroying the peace in this city for years!"

"I just started working on this case a few days ago, Light-kun. I can't be in multiple countries at once," Ryuzaki sounded irritated.

_Multiple countries?_ Light froze for a moment before daring to ask, "Who are you?"

Ryuzaki answered, "I am L."

Light's eyes widened in shock. He couldn't believe what he just heard. _Ryuzaki is L!_ The famous 6th L was perched right in front of him.

L smirked, "I see that Light-kun is impressed."

"No," Light angrily snapped. "I'm just surprised. So am I going to be convicted of murder or not?"

"I decided to let Light-kun go with a warning," L explained. "It would be shame if Light-kun's intelligence wasn't used to its fullest potential. Besides prison would only corrupt Light-kun further."

"I'm not corrupt." Light defensively crossed his arms.

"Yes, you are. Otherwise Light-kun would not have such flawed logic."

Light stood up and stormed toward the crouching detective. "There is nothing wrong with my judgment, L. I saw a man who needed to be punished so I took matters into my own hands. If you detectives weren't so goddamn slow, I wouldn't have had to do it!"

"Light-kun blames the police?"

"No, but most of them are too stupid to make a difference!"

"Would Light-kun like to become a detective and punish criminals the correct way?"

"I-" Light paused for a second while giving L a confused look. "Are you offering to-?"

"I will ensure that you return to school and I will provide any financial aid you need in order to become a detective. If the police department is as slow as you claim, then they desperately need someone like you."

"And if I agree to this, I can leave?" Light asked, "Can I live with my mother and sister again?"

"Yes," L nodded. "Your mother is waiting for you actually. She's been in hiding lately because-"

Suddenly, L's cell phone started to ring. L grabbed it from his pocket and held it up between his thumb and index finger. Light watched silently as L placed the phone to his ear.

"Yes, Watari." L's black eyes widened for a split second. "I see… No, I will inform him." L hung up the phone with a grim expression on his face.

"What happened?" Light immediately asked.

"I am not sure of the appropriate way to tell you this," L admitted before meeting Light's gaze. "Wedy Morrello is dead."


	8. Mourning

In almost every situation, L knew exactly what to do. He knew how to profile a criminal, he knew how to hack into files on a computer, he knew how get criminals to confess, he knew how to fake someone's death, and he had several other skills. Unfortunately, L did not know how to comfort someone. Since his social skills weren't exactly up to par, L wasn't sure how to treat Light right now. He did take Light out of the cell though and he brought the boy to a nice bedroom. L had rented out a couple of floors in a building, which is where he had been staying in Japan so far.

He led Light into the room. "You can stay here until we figure out your new living situation."

Light just stared at the floor and didn't bother to answer. L may not know much about people's emotions, but Light's reaction seemed odd. Ever since Light was told about his mother's death, he hasn't said a word. L was positive that most people would be crying by now.

_Maybe Light-kun is trying to detach himself from the situation._ L finally spoke up, "Light-kun, you have my sympathy for your loss… I promise that I'll find whoever killed your mother."

Light tilted his head down so L couldn't see his face.

Concerned, L headed toward the boy and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Light-kun-?"

Light suddenly smacked away L's hand. "If I stayed with the DN13, she'd still be alive! Why did you have to interfere?! If you never came, they'd have no reason to kill her!"

L gazed at Light with wide eyes. "Light-kun…blames me?"

"Isn't that obvious?! I thought you were a genius!" Light screamed, "You meddling bastard, just leave me alone!"

L froze in shock for a moment. Then Light grabbed onto his arm and shoved him out the door. Before L could respond, Light slammed the door in his face. L's mouth twitched. _He actually blames me?_

###

The famous detective was sulking in a corner when Watari entered the workroom. L could hear Watari's footsteps coming closer but he kept glaring at the blank wall in front of him as he sat perched on a chair.

"L, what happened?" Watari hesitantly asked.

"Light-kun blames me for his mother's death…and he called me a meddling bastard."

"I see." Watari explained, "I doubt that Light-kun meant any of those things. He's just upset right now, and he's trying to find someone to blame."

L leaned his forehead against the wall. "Light-kun hates me…"

Watari sighed. "Well, would you like some cheesecake? That usually cheers you up."

_That's it!_ L quickly leaped off the chair and hurried into the kitchen. He opened the refrigerator then took out an entire cheesecake. While holding the plate of precious dessert in one hand, L used his other hand to grab two forks out of a drawer. Next L headed out of the kitchen and took the elevator up to Light's room.

Once L reached Light's room, he barged in without knocking. L held up the almighty cheesecake as an offering. But then he noticed that Light was laying on the bed with his face in a pillow. L could see that Light was shaking.

"Is Light-kun crying?"

Light immediately lifted his head and glared at L with watery eyes. "I thought I told you to leave!"

L pointed at the plate of dessert with two forks. "But I brought cheesecake."

"So what?" Light snapped.

L gaped at him. "Light-kun…does not like cheesecake?"

Light scoffed as he sat up on his bed, "No, actually I hate it."

This was simply something that L could not comprehend. "Surely, Light-kun does not mean that. He's just saying horrible things out of anger because I caught him crying."

"I wasn't crying!" Light stood and stormed toward L.

"Then why do I see so much moisture in Light-kun's eyes?"

Light furiously whacked the plate of cheesecake out of L's hands. L watched in horror as his beloved dessert hit the floor. The detective stayed completely still for a few seconds until he suddenly snatched the collar of Light's shirt.

L stared into Light's eyes as he coldly announced, "I will not tolerate anymore of this behavior, Light-kun. My kindness has its limits and you are being incredibly ungrateful. Your mother begged me to save you, Light-kun. I didn't have to help you, but I promised your mother that I would. If Light-kun has any respect for his mother, then he will not degrade her selfless decision."

Light glared back at him, "Don't patronize me."

L angrily released Light and turned to leave. "It's a shame that Light-kun must be so bitter. He could at least direct his hatred into something productive, instead of being a nuisance. " L slammed the door on his way out.

###

Light laid on the bed while he stared up at the ceiling. The cheesecake was still on the floor since he hadn't bothered to clean it up. Light sighed. Logically, he knew that L wasn't to blame. But Light's mind had been racing and he needed to take out his frustration on something… L just happened to be there at the time. Light sadly gazed at the ruined dessert on the carpet. Now L probably hated him. It wouldn't surprise Light if he did.

Then Light heard someone knocking on his door. He instantly stood up and rushed to open it. But instead of the pale detective, it was just the elderly man.

The white-haired man politely asked, "May I come in?"

"Yeah, sure." Light stepped aside, allowing the old man to enter the room. "You're Watari, right?"

"Yes." Watari scanned the floor, then let out a long sigh. "Oh, my. No wonder L is in a bad mood." He kneeled down beside the splattered cheesecake.

"I can take care of it," Light offered.

"No, I think you should just rest for now." Watari started to gather the pieces of the broken plate. "What happened after the cheesecake fell?"

"L lectured me and left." Light sat down on the bed.

"Really? That's all? L restrained himself extremely well." Watari seemed proud of the detective. "Usually L becomes violent if someone destroys his sweets."

"Are you serious?"

"L has a bit of a sugar addiction." Watari stood up while holding pieces of the messy plate. "It's how L manages to stay awake several days at a time. His addiction to sugar is really just so he can prolong his other addiction which is solving cases."

Light merely nodded before daring to ask, "Is L still going to work on my mother's murder case, even after what I did?"

"Of course, he will. L never quits a case once he decides to take it on." Watari exited the room and came back with a damp cloth.

"You really don't have to-" Light guiltily watched as the older man cleaned up the mess.

"It's quite alright." Watari continued wiping up the cheesecake. "I don't expect you to act rationally right now. Anyone in your position would be upset. But I must ask that you don't place too much pressure on L."

"I'm sorry," Light muttered.

"Don't tell me that." Watari finished scrubbing the carpet and stood up. "L's the one who needs to hear it. When you're ready, of course. Just take your time." The old man calmly walked out of the room and shut the door.

###

Light laid on the bed for hours, but he couldn't fall asleep. Thoughts kept racing through his mind and Light could barely stay still. He glanced at the digital clock by the bed. It was about four o'clock in the morning yet he was still wide awake. Light had an overpowering urge to do something, _anything_. His argument with L served as a nice distraction, but eventually he'd always think back to his mother.

She was really dead… Light didn't want to believe it at first, but it was starting to truly sink in. His mother had been killed, most likely by a member of the DN13. Light clenched his fists. _L is right. I should direct my hatred into something productive_.

He stood and left his room. Then Light took the elevator down to the workroom. Once he entered the workroom, he immediately spotted L. The detective's back was facing him and he was crouched in front of a computer screen. Light headed toward him, expecting L to turn around and start arguing with him. But L stayed completely still. Light had finally made his way to L's side when he realized that L was asleep. The strange man was actually perched in his usual sitting position on a chair as he slept.

Light gazed around L at the computer screen. There were several minimized documents, but the one document that took up most of the screen was an autopsy report. Light could feel his blood run cold. It was his mother's autopsy report. Light anxiously read though it and discovered that his mother had been shot thirteen times. He took in deep breaths while trying to calm himself. There was no doubt that the DN13 had done this.

Next Light maximized another document which consisted of L's notes. The detective had already deduced which fraction of the DN13 had killed her. Light knew that the fraction was located in a nearby city. He could take a subway there if he wanted. But Light wouldn't make much of a difference without a weapon and he had no idea where his gun went after it had been confiscated. Luckily, Light knew where another firearm was located.

Light reached into the sleeping detective's pocket and stole his gun. _I'll punish every last one of them_.

###

L awoke from his nap because of the aching in his back. When L opened his eyes, he realized that he had been sleeping in a perched position. L stood up and let his back crack, then he glanced at the computer screen. According to the clock in the right corner of the screen, it was presently four-forty in the morning. L knew exactly where he was going to search for Wedy's killer once he gathered enough manpower. 

Then L noticed that something felt different. He quickly shoved his hands into his pockets and discovered that his gun was missing. _Light-kun!_ L rushed to the elevator and went up to where all the bedrooms were located. He barged into Light's room and saw that it was indeed empty. Then he hurried into Watari's room. _Light-kun must've come into the workroom and read through the documents on my computer!_

L jumped onto Watari's bed and shook the man awake. "Watari, wake up! I need you to drive me to the subway station right away."

###

It took longer walking to the subway station than Light had expected. First of all, he didn't know what part of town L was staying at so he had to wander around until he reached a familiar street. Then he had to avoid any suspicious people that he could see in the distance. Light knew that the DN13 probably wanted him dead too. So he tried to be cautious as he strolled down the dimly lit streets. Yet Light felt fairly safe thanks to the weapon he stole.

Once Light reached the subway's entryway, he quickly headed down the steps and entered the underground station. The whole place was empty which was highly unusual. Light was walking toward a subway train when someone suddenly grabbed both of his wrists from behind.

Before Light could scream, he was forcibly turned around to face L. The detective looked absolutely livid.

"Let me go!" Light demanded as he struggled to get away.

L switched to holding both of Light's wrists with only one hand while he used his other hand to take back his stolen gun. Meanwhile Light thrashed around and eventually broke free from L's grip. But L already had the gun which he placed back into his pocket.

"I will not allow Light-kun to kill again. You will either come back with me willingly or I will drag you back."

Light yelled defiantly, "You can't control what I do!"

"Actually, Light-kun, I can. I could have you arrested for murder right now if I wished. But I'm giving you a chance to redeem yourself."

"I haven't done anything wrong!"

"Yes, you have!" L actually shouted at him.

Without thinking, Light furiously punched L in the face. L stumbled back then suddenly kicked Light in the stomach. While Light gasped in pain, L swiftly snatched Light's arm. Unexpectedly, Light felt cold metal against his wrist. Light glanced up to see L handcuffing him. But Light became ever more horrified when he noticed that the handcuff was linked to a chain which was connected to another handcuff around L's wrist.

"You insane bastard!" Light frantically pulled on the chain.

"Like I said before, Light-kun, I will drag you back." L started walking away while the chain yanked Light forward.

Light struggled to stand his ground, refusing to be dragged any further. Then L violently pulled on the chain causing Light's wrist to bleed. But Light stubbornly refused to move. 

"If Light-kun detests being dragged, I could always carry him. And if that doesn't work, I can call Watari to come down here and sedate you. Which of these options do you prefer?"

Light stalled until he reluctantly started walking. L merely gave a nod of approval before he led the way out.

###

After Watari drove them back, L continued to drag Light through the building, up to Light's temporary bedroom. Light could barely restrain himself from smashing his fist into the detective's face. But he knew that L was the only thing keeping him from prison, so Light tried to withstand it. Once they reached Light's room, he felt slightly relieved. _At least L can take off the chain now._

"Alright, L, we're back. You won. Now I want to get some sleep." Light headed toward the bed.

"Let me get my laptop first." L unexpectedly turned to leave the room.

Light was so shocked that he allowed L to led him away. "W-What? But I'm back now. There's no need for the chain."

"I beg to differ. Light-kun may attempt another escape. And not only would you be planning to kill others, you would also be placing your own life in danger. This I can't allow."

They entered another bedroom where L grabbed a laptop off of a desk. Then L started strolling back toward Light's room.

"But don't you have work that needs to be done? If I'm sleeping, you won't be able to go anywhere," Light tried to change L's mind.

L merely held up the laptop. "That's why I have this, Light-kun."

They walked back into Light's bedroom. L perched himself on top of Light's bed and balanced the laptop on his knees. Light hesitantly stood off to the side.

L began typing on his laptop as he claimed nonchalantly, "I could still have Light-kun sedated."

Light glared at L but got into bed. He laid on his side, facing away from L. Light couldn't believe that he had actually considered apologizing to the crazed detective before. Well, now he knew better. He mentally cursed L until exhaustion finally caused Light to fall asleep.


	9. Sorry

_"L," Light stretched out his hand toward the crouching figure._

_The pale black-haired man stood, then a door appeared behind him. Light kept trying to move toward L but he was stuck. A dark void was swirling all around him, sucking him in. "L!" Light cried out in desperation as the door behind L opened._

_The blinding white glow shined through the doorway causing L to fade away. "L! Wait! Don't leave me here! L!"_

"Light-kun, wake up."

His eyes snapped open with a gasp. Light could hear his heart pounding in his chest as he quickly sat up. Then he turned to see L who was perched beside him on the bed.

The detective seemed slightly concerned. "Is Light-kun okay?"

Light continued taking in deep breaths while he managed to give L a small nod.

"Why was Light-kun calling out to me in his sleep?"

As soon as the eccentric detective asked that, Light felt like banging his head against the wall. Instead Light just to grit his teeth in anger. "You…heard?"

"Yes, Light-kun sounded terribly afraid of me abandoning-" L wisely shut his mouth once Light gave him a vicious glare.

"Never mention my dream again," Light warned before he stood and tried to walk away, but the chain kept him close to the bed.

L stayed on the bed while he grabbed his laptop and balanced it on his knees. "Nightmares are not unusual for people under a great deal of emotional stress. Perhaps Light-kun would feel more at ease if he was well-informed."

After L typed for a moment, he spun the laptop around to face Light.

"What is this?" Light sat back on the bed and stared at the computer screen. On the screen, there was a birth certificate for a girl that he had never met before.

"This is Light-kun's sister."

"You're giving her a fake birth certificate." Light asked, "Are you falsifying all of her other records as well?"

"Yes." L assured him, "Light-kun's sister will not suffer the same fate as his mother. She is in another country right now with her biological father. The DN13 will not be able to track her down."

Light felt as if a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders. His mother's death had preoccupied his mind so much that he didn't think that he could handle it if Misa died too. Then Light remembered something that he had always wondered about.

"Did you falsify her medical records yet?"

"Yes, actually I had those records forged first."

"Oh," Light felt a twinge of disappointment. "So you don't know if she had any major operations?"

"Actually, when I read through her real records, I remember spotting an unusual operation," L informed him.

"Do you know if it was successful?" Light was dying to know.

L sighed. "Unfortunately, I do not. When Light-kun is reunited with his sister, he will know. But for now, your sister is definitely safe. Although I would recommend that you stay in Japan for now. As long as you're with me, I can guarantee your safety. Also, I was wondering if Light-kun wanted to assist me on the case."

Light's face lit up excitedly. "You'll let me help?"

"Yes, but only if Light-kun promises to bring his mother's killer to justice the correct way."

"You mean your way?" Light scoffed.

L bit on the edge of his thumb as he stared up at the ceiling. "Or I suppose that I could keep Light-kun chained to the bed all day while I worked-"

"No," Light quickly insisted, "That's not necessary. I'll do things your way."

"We should begin working then." The strange detective smirked as he stood and led the way out of the bedroom.

While the chained duo made their way toward the elevator, L explained, "I hope that Light-kun takes advantage of my offer to provide financial support for him to pursue a career in law enforcement. Once we catch Mrs. Morrello's killer, you will need to transfer back into school."

"I know and I accept the offer," Light replied as they entered the elevator to go down to the workroom.

L seemed very pleased. "So Light-kun will discard his flawed ideals and accept my own?"

Light flashed L an angry look. "My beliefs aren't flawed. But I know I'll punish less criminals if there are people like you always chasing me around."

"That's because Light-kun is criminal."

The elevator door opened, revealing the workroom but Light stayed exactly where he was.

He tilted his head down and sternly claimed, "I am not a criminal."

"You broke the law."

"He had to be punished."

"You had no right to punish him."

"Someone had to do it."

"Why did it have to be you?"

"Because I was there!" Light faced L as he shouted, "I'm not as apathetic as everyone else! I care what happens to the innocents! All my life I've seen countless criminals who cheat society and are never punished for it! Yes, some of them are thrown in prison but only more criminals will come to replace them! It's a never-ending cycle and I'm sick of it!"

L spoke calmly, "You're right. It is a never-ending cycle. There will always be criminals. It is impossible to create a world without crime."

Light grumbled, "How would you know?"

"Kira failed."

As soon as L said that, Light froze. The 6th L, the main opposition to any future Death Note threats, was comparing him to Kira. Light realized how dangerous that was. To L, Kira was his worst enemy. Light didn't someone like L as an enemy.

Also Light felt the need to apologize. He knew that L was doing a lot for him and he knew that he had been acting ungrateful. Light was about speak up when the door across the workroom suddenly opened and Watari entered.

The old man announced, "L, all of documents you requested have been sent to you."

"Even the videos?" L hurried toward the row of computers, yanking Light along with him.

Watari nodded. "Most of the video footage in the inner city area has been sent, but the footage from the city's outskirts is still being gathered."

"That will do for now." L perched on a chair in front of a computer. "Light-kun, sit down and I'll explain what you need to do."

Light readily complied. He would put his mother's killer to death, no matter what method he had to use to get there.

##

Even though Light's beliefs were so terribly flawed, he was still a genius. L never had a partner that could keep up with him before. Whenever L worked with the police, it seemed like they were always a step behind. Although they had good intentions, they slowed L down because he would have to explain everything to them. But Light was actually speeding up L's progress. Having Light's help was even more of a stimulant that a bowl full of sugar cubes, which L had placed next to his computer.

Right now they were trying to pinpoint the location of the 2nd DN13's hideout that was in a nearby city. The police needed a warrant before they could barge into any suspicious buildings so they had to find places to stake out first.

"L, this warehouse at the corner of the 22nd and 3rd street can't be a DN13 hideout."

"And how did Light-kun come to this conclusion?" L popped a sugar cube in his mouth.

Light pointed to the picture of the warehouse on his screen. "You see this symbol on the fence by the warehouse? That's a marking from a rival gang. The DN13 would never stay on an enemy's territory."

"I see." L brought up the entire map of the city of his own screen. "Now, can you tell me where the rival gang's territory ends?"

"Usually the DN13 takes up the other half of the city. So in this case the DN13 are probably somewhere in the western half."

L smiled as zoomed in on the western half of the map. "This cuts down our whole search by half. Excellent work, Light-kun."

Although L kept his eyes on his computer screen, he knew that Light was staring at him. "You have plenty of time to feel flattered later, Light-kun. I'm going to send you some video footage from traffic lights throughout the western area. Since the DN13 blatantly wear red everyday, we can spot where most of them are walking from and track them to the source."

Light paused before replying, "But…there must be weeks of footage for each video camera. It'll take months to scan through them all-"

"No, I've watched more video footage than this in a day."

"…How?"

"Light-kun could have started by now if he didn't complain."

He heard the Light make some annoyed sound before opening the files full of video footage.

After hours of watching footage, L was still working at steady pace without any problems at all. Unfortunately the same could not be said for Light. Then teen wasn't used to staring at computer screens unblinkingly for several hours at a time. L simply ignored that Light's pace was slowing down. At least Light had narrowed down the area for him. But when Watari strolled passed them, L knew that an interruption was coming.

"L, Light-kun's eyes are twitching. I think he needs to rest," Watari stated from behind him.

"Then Light-kun can stare at something else for awhile." L continued fast forwarding through videos.

Watari insisted, "L, he's a child. They can't sit in the same spot working all day."

"I know plenty of places in the world where children manage to do that."

"This isn't a third world country," Watari sounded irritated. "If you're going to chain yourself to another person, you have to learn to be more considerate."

Then Light finally spoke up in a worn-out voice, "I'm fine, Watari."

L eyes were still glued to the computer screen. "See, he's fine."

Watari snapped, "Will you just look at him for a second?"

L paused the video footage and glanced at Light. He instantly sighed. Light looked horrible. The boy only had a few hours of sleep last night and he was actually swaying from fatigue. Light had dark circles around his eyes and they were definitely twitching.

"I suppose that I could work on my laptop." L exited out the file on his computer. "Come on, Light-kun." He stood up and pulled on the chain.

Light stood while holding onto the desk for support. L reminded himself that the last few days for Light have been traumatic. Yesterday, Light heard about his mother's death. And before that, Light had killed a man. Even though Light claimed that he killed for a righteous cause, it must have been exhausting to deal with. Also L supposed that their constant auguring couldn't have helped matters for the boy.

L walked to the elevator with Light stumbling along behind him. They took the elevator up a floor then headed down the hall.

As they entered the bedroom, L asked, "Does Light-kun wish to change his clothes?"

Instead of answering, Light staggered over to the bed and collapsed on it. _I'll take that as a no._ L grabbed his laptop and crouched down on the bed. He balanced the laptop on his knees and continued working. Meanwhile Light was laying down next to him in a nearly unconscious state.

Light murmured, "L…"

L was already scanning through videos again. "Yes, Light-kun?"

"I…I'm really sorry."

The detective froze, completely forgetting the footage in front of him. L turned to gaze at Light with wide eyes.

But the teenage boy was already asleep. L smirked to himself. _Yes, Light-kun's beliefs may be flawed but there's still hope for him yet._


	10. Friends Part I

L scanned through the video footage on his laptop for several hours until he finally decided to take a short nap. He slept on his side, facing the teenage genius beside him. Although L hardly ever slept, he was an abnormally light-sleeper. Even in his unconscious state, his mind took note of almost every motion of the smaller body next to him. L had made a mistake of sleeping too deeply around Light before, which resulted in the teen running away. L wasn't about to make that mistake again. So when Light began turning and twisting, L immediately sat up.

L perched himself right next to Light and gazed over the sleeping boy. There was a pained expression on Light's face as his body turned from side to side on the bed. _Light-kun must be having a nightmare again._

"Light-kun," L reached out his hand to shake the teen awake.

"Don't go," Light suddenly turned while his hand collided with L's.

L merely watched as Light unknowingly tightened his grip on L's hand. The surprised detective allowed the unconscious boy pull his hand down. Now Light was laying on his side, facing L while holding L's hand close to his chest. L was about to take back his captured hand when he noticed that Light was sleeping better. The teen wasn't tossing and turning anymore. It was as if holding onto L's hand had stopped all the nightmares.

_That's an…interesting development._ L tried inching his hand away but Light's grip only tightened. Then L glanced toward his laptop that was out of reach. He really needed to continue working.

"As flattering as this is, I need my hand back, Light-kun." L announced as he stretched out his other hand and tried to pry his captured hand loose.

Then Light subconsciously latched onto L's other hand as well. Now the sleeping teen was holding both of L's hands with his own. L was getting slightly annoyed.

"Light-kun, let go." L was still crouched over the teen as he yanked his seized hands upwards with Light still holding onto them.

L was actually lifting Light up while trying to free himself peacefully.

"Wait," Light gasped in his sleep as he pulled his hands back down, causing L to fall down toward him.

L managed to stop himself from landing on Light by using his hands which were still entwined with Light's to keep himself up. Now L's face was only an inch away from Light's and he was pressing his hands down on Light's, keeping himself suspended above the boy.

Unfortunately, Light chose this time to finally open his eyes. He stared up at L in shock.

"Aaaaaahhhh! Get off of me!" Light shouted while kicking at L frantically.

L quickly released the teen as he sat up, "Light-kun, this is completely explainable-"

"Pervert!" Light kicked L in the head, causing L fall off the bed.

After L loudly crashed on the floor, the bedroom door swung open and Watari hurried inside. "What happened?" Watari gazed at the chained pair.

"L was pinning me to the bed!" Light accusingly pointed at the wounded detective who was sprawled out on the floor.

"I did no such thing," L angrily stood up.

"Then why were you on top of me?!"

"You pulled me there in your sleep," L snapped at the over-reacting teen.

Light crossed his arms. "And why the hell would I do that?"

L glared at the boy as he spat, "Light-kun was having a nightmare and he grabbed onto me because he was scared."

Light froze for second before he denied it, "No, I wasn't."

"Light-kun was talking in his sleep again and he was using the same phrases as last time. Are you still afraid of me abandoning you?"

"Shut up, L!" Light jumped off the bed and yelled at the detective's face, "I don't need you! Take off the chain, NOW!"

"No," L instantly refused.

Before Light could start shouting again, Watari calmly advised, "L, I think Light could use some time alone. Besides, he needs to take a shower and get cleaned up."

L stalled for a moment then decided, "Very well. Light-kun has fifteen minutes."

###

Light stood in the shower with his forehead against the wall. Somehow he managed to piss L off everyday. It wasn't intentional, but it just kept happening. When L claimed that Light was afraid of abandonment, something in Light just snapped. Mostly because he was a little worried about that happening…

With his mother dead, Light literally had nowhere else to go. Misa's father definitely wouldn't take Light in, and there were no living relatives on his mother's side of the family. He hadn't told L yet because he didn't want to come across as some pathetic needy child. Light hated to admit it, but he needed L. That was one of the main reasons why Light agreed to stay. Of course, he wanted to catch his mother's killer, but he also needed a place to sleep and a roof over his head. 

Light sighed as the hot water ran down his back. He knew that L only meant that he could stay temporarily to help solve the case. Once they catch the killer, Light would have no choice, but to tell L his predicament. And the detective would either keep him or hand him over to foster care, which Light really didn't want.

Light resented that he had such limited options and he was unjustly taking it out on L. In the end, L would choose his fate. Light didn't like it, but it was true. _I need to get on L's good side again. So I'll just suck it up and try not to piss him off._ Light turned off the shower and stepped out. He wrapped a towel around himself then glanced at the steamy mirror. Light ran his hand across the mirror and briefly stared at himself. He looked tired, probably because that's how he felt. He was so tired of everything. For once he would like to have a stable home where there was no criminal activity taking place… And the chance had presented itself in L. Light ran a hand through his wet hair. _No matter what I won't yell at him again today. I know that he's impressed by my intelligence. Now I just have to show him that my personality isn't intolerable._

Then Light opened the bathroom door and stepped into his bedroom with the towel still wrapped around his waist. L was still perched on the bed with his attention focused on his laptop screen. Meanwhile Light looked in the closet, then opened some of the drawers.

"L, where are my clothes?"

The detective glanced up at Light and tilted his head to the side. "Watari took them because they were dirty."

Light rolled his eyes. "I know that, but where are some clothes that I can change into?"

L paused for few seconds before admitting, "Oh, we don't have those."

"What?!" Light shouted then shut his mouth. _Damn, there's goes my resolve not to yell at him._ Light asked a little more calmly, "What am I supposed to wear then?"

L put down his laptop and stood up. "I'll tell Watari to order some clothes for you. In the meantime, Light-kun will have to borrow some of mine. I'll be right back."

The detective strolled out of the room and returned momentarily with a shirt, a pair of boxers, and some jeans. L tossed the pile of the clothes to Light, then crouched on the bed and grabbed his beloved laptop.

Light stormed back into the bathroom and shut the door. He pulled on L's boxers which were baggy but stayed on. Then he put on L's white shirt that was loose as well. Finally, Light pulled on the jeans which fell off right away. _Dammit._

He yanked the pants back up and held them in place as he exited the bathroom. "L, I need another pair of jeans."

L glanced up. "I'm sorry, Light-kun. I only have two pairs of pants, and I'm wearing one of them."

_Who the hell only has two pairs of-?! Oh, that's right. L can never be classified as normal._ Light scowled. "Then go get me some."

"No."

"Dammit, L! I can't wear these!" Light stomped toward L, but then he tripped of the baggy ends of the jeans and fell.

Light landed on his knees and both of his hands, which caused him to release his hold on the loose jeans.

"Is Light-kun okay?" L stood and gawked at him with wide eyes.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Light hurried onto his feet while the baggy pants fell down. "Aah!" Light frantically yanked the jeans back up. He glared at L as he felt his face heating up. 

L had an amused smirk. "I see. Light-kun does have a problem. I'll bring back a solution."

As soon as L left the room, Light placed a hand on the side of his face. Yes, he was definitely blushing. _God, that was embarrassing._ At least L's coming back with a belt. Light turned around to see L entering the room with a stapler.

"Why the hell did you bring a stapler?! I need a belt!" Light yelled furiously.

"I don't own a belt," L informed him.

Light could feel one of his eyes twitching from irritation. "You…don't own a belt? Why?"

"Belts aren't comfortable. I prefer loose clothes."

Light completely lost it. "Really?! Like I couldn't fucking tell!"

###

He had yelled at L again…multiple times. _Foster care, here I come._ Light sighed inwardly. He was still wearing the baggy clothes, but the waistline of the pants had been stapled so it would fit better. Much to Light's dismay, the chain was also back on. Light scanned through another video on a computer as he sat beside L in the workroom. L was still working at a steady pace and even typed something in a hurry. Meanwhile Light's eyes were burning from constantly staring at the screen. No wonder L had those huge circles around his eyes. God, Light wanted a break.

Unexpectedly, L closed the file of videos on his computer. "Where does Light-kun think the 2nd DN13 hideout is?"

Light immediately deduced the point of this. _L already figured out where they're hiding. He's just testing me._ Light glanced at his computer screen as he settled on his answer. "Well, we've already concluded that it's definitely on the west side of the city. Judging from the videos, most men in red are coming from the south portion of that side. I also believe that the hideout is toward the inner part of the city, around Yurakato Street."

"And why does Light-kun think that?"

"The most probable gang members are coming from that direction and all the video cameras had been destroyed on that one street."

L smiled. "Light-kun is correct. Does he know which building?"

Light gave him an irritated look. "Do you know?"

"I'm only 48.3 percent sure at the moment." L bit on the edge on his thumb. "But I just sent a message to the local police department there. They'll stake out the area and report back to me once they have sufficient evidence."

"So there's nothing left to do, but wait?" Light actually felt excited.

"I suppose. Although I could start on another case in the meantime-"

"NO." Light blurted out before calmly asking, "I mean, can't we have a small break?"

L gazed at him as he had spoken some foreign word. "Light-kun wants a break? But he already slept plenty last night."

"I'm not talking about sleeping. Why don't we go outside and maybe go for a walk or something?"

"The chain is long enough for Light-kun to pace back and forth near the computers."

"I don't want to pace back and forth near the computers. I want to go outside," Light replied angrily.

"Why-?"

"Because that's what normal people do," Light snapped. "Come on, L. There has to be something that you enjoy doing outside. Actually it doesn't even have to be outdoors. Just something that requires movement. Do you like any sports?"

"I like tennis," L admitted.

Light grinned. "That's great. So let's go to the park and play tennis."

"If Light-kun is not extremely good at tennis, there would be no point."

_You pretentious bastard._ Light stood as he claimed, "I'm wonderful at tennis. Before I lived with the DN13, I won national tournaments for my school. I could beat you at anytime, anywhere. I'd wipe the floor with you. "

Now L was giving him an interested look. "Is that so? Light-kun thinks that he could beat me?"

Light scoffed, "I know that I could beat you."

"Then we must test this theory." L smirked, welcoming the challenge.


	11. Friends Part II

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Right now, Light is 14 and L is 20.  
> Also, I'm not a tennis expert, so there might be mistakes.

They returned to the park where they first met. L and Light walked down the dirt path, passing by the wooden table where they had played chess. That seemed like ages ago now. Since it was currently a weekend, the park was filled with people unlike the first time. L was leading the way while he would occasionally glance back at Light whose face was turning red. Then L yanked the chain forward causing Light to quicken his pace.

"Everyone's staring," Light complained in a hushed voice.

L shrugged. "Let them stare."

"Can you just take the chain off already? You'll have to take it off once we start playing tennis anyway."

"Wait until we reach the tennis court, Light-kun."

Light glared at him as they continued walking. A few children started pointing at the chained duo and a group of young girls giggled when they passed by. Light gritted his teeth and looked even more embarrassed than before.

Once they finally reached the tennis court, L rented two racquets and bucket of tennis balls from a worker in a booth. Meanwhile Light wisely rolled the bottom rim of his borrowed baggy jeans so he wouldn't trip.

Before L handed him a racquet, he asked, "Can I trust Light-kun not to run away?"

"I promise that I'll stay so I can have the pleasure of beating you." Light confidently grabbed his racquet.

L smiled as he took the key out of his pocket and unlocked them both from the chain. "I hope that Light-kun can handle disappointment well."

After the chain landed on the ground, Light strolled over to the other side of the court. "I've never lost a tennis match in my life and I don't plan to start now."

"Likewise, Light-kun." L kicked the chain out of the boundaries of the tennis court and set the bucket on the ground while grabbing one of the lime green balls.

Across the court, Light stood with his racquet ready. The teen was so sure of himself that he almost seemed relaxed. L decided to wipe that smug look off Light's face.

L tossed the ball up into the air then used his tennis racquet to whack it with all his strength. The ball zoomed over the net and bounced off the ground before Light could even blink.

"15-love," L happily called out the score.

Light looked completely surprised for a moment, then he grinned darkly at L. Then he snatched the tennis ball off the ground and suddenly served it over the net with as much force as L had used. To L's astonishment, he was barely able to hit the ball back. L quickly realized that if he was going to beat Light, it wasn't going to be easy. For about ten minutes they both dashed around the court smacking the ball toward each other. Then L finally missed the ball with his racquet.

"15 all." Light had that arrogant smirk again.

Now L was really interested. He served the ball again, starting off another round of them stubbornly whacking the tennis ball back and forth. Both of them were obviously determined to win. L couldn't remember anyone ever causing him to become this competitive before. Usually L always won, and he didn't even have to try. But Light… That boy was different matter entirely. There was an approximate 49.8 percent chance that L would actually lose.

Eventually, L managed to score a second time. "30-15."

Five minutes didn't go by before Light tied the score again. "30 all."

By now, people started gathering around the tennis court to watch. There were whole families who simply sat on the grass and watched the match as if it was worthy of being on television. A worker who owned a hotdog stand even positioned himself near the tennis court for better business. Meanwhile L and Light solely focused on each other as the increasingly competitive match waged on.

Once L scored a third time, he was actually trying to catch his breath. "40-30."

Light was panting as well, but he still had that determined glint in his eyes. If L scored one more time, he would win. Of course, Light knew that, but he seemed as ambitious as ever. L never wanted the teen to lose that lively determination.

The tennis ball zoomed back and forth in a flash. Then Light violently whacked the ball toward L and the detective barely managed to hit it back with the edge of his racquet. The ball sped across the court then bounced off the ground in a difficult angle. Light quickly swung his racquet toward the ball but just missed it by only half an inch. The ball continued on and clanged against the wire fence.

"Dammit," Light ran a hand through his light brown hair in frustration.

L kept staring at Light, completely mesmerized. _If Light-kun's arm was longer, he definitely would have won. He only lost because he's younger…_ "That was a very challenging game, Light-kun."

"It's not over yet," Light unexpectedly declared then he grabbed the tennis ball off the ground, "You only won the first set. There's still two more."

L merely nodded while smiling. Light never ceased to amaze him.

Light won the second set. And if that hadn't impressed L enough, Light managed to acquire a lead in the third set. Eventually, L came back and took the lead, but Light was still close behind. The tennis court was surrounded by bystanders now and a self-appointed umpire was keeping the scores tallied on a board. If L scored again, he would win the third set.

L served the ball, starting off another intense round. For about ten minutes, they hit the ball back and forth over the net. L could tell that Light was wearing down. The teen had expended a lot of energy in order to win the second set. L was becoming tired too. As soon as this was over, he needed to get more sugar into his system.

They both continued on, stubbornly disregarding their limits. Finally, Light missed the ball when he swung his racquet and even fell to the ground. Light landed on his back as his chest heaved up and down.

It was finally over. The crowd clapped for their two entertaining players while L snatched the chain and stumbled over to Light. The teen was still laying on the ground, sulking.

"I can't believe I lost." Light sighed as his eyes looked strangely glazed over.

The ambitious glint was gone, but L was sure that he could get it back. L couched beside the boy and baited him, "I warned Light-kun that he would be disappointed. Maybe in a few years you could beat me-"

Light immediately sat up and scoffed, "I could beat you tomorrow."

"Does Light-kun want a rematch?"

"Of course, I do." Light sounded as determined as ever.

"Then we must come here tomorrow." L stood and offered Light a hand.

Light stared up at him, then hesitantly took his hand. L pulled Light up to his feet and placed the handcuff around Light's wrist. Then L handcuffed his own wrist, connecting them both to the chain. Some people in the crowd gasped while Light seemed embarrassed again.

He glared at L. "Did you have to do that in front of everyone?"

"I can't have Light-kun running away." L yanked the teen along as they walked away from the tennis court.

They headed down the dirt path again until they reached the park's exit. Light sighed and turned to head back toward their headquarters. But L stood still. Once the chain pulled on Light's arm, the teen glanced back at L.

"Would Light-kun like to go to a coffee shop?" L asked.

Light looked surprised. "Really? I thought you wanted to work."

"Yes, but we're still on break."

After hearing this, Light seemed very pleased and led the way down the street toward the coffee shop. L quickened his pace to walk beside the teen as they entered the café.

###

They were sitting in a booth toward the back of the coffee shop. L was perched on his seat as he ate a large piece of chocolate cheese cake. Light sat across from the strange detective and only had cup of coffee. Even though Light had lost the tennis match, he was still satisfied. At least he wasn't stuck in front of a computer screen all day. Besides Light was sure that he'd win tomorrow.

L gulped down a spoonful of his dessert before announcing, "I have some questions for Light-kun."

Light shrugged, "Alright, what are they?"

"You were raised by criminals, correct? Your mother was a thief and your step-father was a conman?"

"Yeah..." he admitted reluctantly. 

"Yet Light-kun hates criminals and holds Kira-like beliefs towards them," L stated. "I already know that we disagree on this issue, but I'm interested in how you developed your beliefs. How did your mother treat you?"

Light stalled for a moment before saying, "She blamed me for her problems."

"Why?" L pried.

Light shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "It doesn't matter. She's dead now."

L gave him a stern look. "Light-kun, it does matter and I want you to tell me."

Light glared at L as he angrily snapped, "Fine. I'm the product of an affair. I grew up being told that all of my family's problems were my fault. Everything would've been better if I was never born. Are you happy now?"

L stared at Light with wide eyes, then he commented sadly, "I see. Light-kun's mother made him feel unwanted and unloved. And what about your sister?"

Light crossed his arms. "Don't even get me started on her."

"Did she love you?"

"Yes, but too much-" Light quickly shut his mouth and looked away.

L tilted his head to the side. "What does Light-kun mean by too much?"

_It's disgusting and wrong! Don't tell him._ Part of Light's mind was panicking, but logically he knew that L probably wouldn't freak out. Light confided, "I never told anyone before…but my sister has very unorthodox feelings towards me."

L raised an eyebrow. "Such as?"

"She tried to kiss me." Light nervously avoided eye contact.

L didn't say anything for awhile until he sighed. "Light-kun grew up with extremely difficult circumstances. That is unfortunate. What about Light-kun's step-father?"

"Aiber wanted nothing to do with me when he was alive."

"And Light-kun's biological father?"

Light felt ashamed as he admitted, "I don't know who he is... My mother only had a one-night stand with him."

"Surely Light-kun has other relatives-"

"I don't have anyone!" Light blurted out, then he tilted his head down, hiding his face. He could feel his whole body shaking anxiously. Light stubbornly wrapped his arms around himself and tried to stop the trembling. He hated looking weak.

"Light-kun, maybe your sister's father-"

"He doesn't want me. Why should he? It's not like we're related…"

"So there's absolutely no one?"

"Of course, there's no one! Nobody wants me!" Light completely lost it and started ranting, "My own mother thought that I was mistake when she was alive! The DN13 wanted me though. Did know what their Boss made me call him? _Dad._ The only people who wanted me were disgusting, horrible-" Light shut his mouth, then hid his face in his hands.

The next thing Light felt was a hand on his shoulder. Light glanced up to see L standing by him.

"Come on, Light-kun." L guided Light out of the café.

As they walked down the street, Light followed behind L while staring at the ground. He hated what just happened. Of course, Light believed everything that he had confessed to L but it had always been a secret before. Somehow L had him pouring out all his emotional baggage… _Why the hell did I tell him that? Now he'll definitely see me as some needy pathetic-_

Light accidentally collided with L's back when the detective stopped walking.

L turned around to face him. "Light-kun, what you said in the coffee shop disturbs me."

Light opened his mouth to apologize, but then L announced something unexpected.

"I'm worried that Light-kun may be delusional because I certainly want him. Did I not make my concern for you clear enough? You are my friend, Light-kun. I would consider it a privilege to provide for you."

For a few seconds, Light could only stare at L in shock. Then an overwhelming sense of peace washed over Light. It affected him so much that his eyes starting stinging with tears. Normally, Light absolutely refused to cry. But when L actually wrapped his arms around him and pulled him in... It was all just too much. Only one tear streamed down Light's face. His pride prevented anymore than that. He leaned into L's embrace and buried his face in the detective's chest. For the first time in Light's life everything felt…right.

He had L.


	12. Shielding

Light had awakened many different attributes in L. The teen had caused L to become more competitive, friendly, motivated, protective, sympathetic, and even…affectionate. L displaying any kind of affection was extremely rare. Yet Light seemed to be an exception, just like in everything else. Normally, L despised any fool who held Kira-like beliefs, but not Light. The idea of losing a tennis match against someone was inexcusable, but he wouldn't mind if Light beat him. L believed that all murderers should pay for their crimes, but Light only deserved a warning. To every rational principle, Light was the exception. Because Light was special…and L wanted him.

On the way back to the office building, L and Light walked close together as if the chain was only a centimeter long. After their embrace, Light had started strolling closer to the detective. Of course, L didn't mind. He enjoyed being near Light. It felt like that's where he was naturally meant to be. Once they entered the building, they took the elevator up to the workroom.

As soon as they entered the workroom, Watari greeted them, "Hello, how did the tennis match go?"

"I barely won," L honestly replied before heading towards the computers.

Watari seemed surprised. "Light-kun must be very good then. Oh, and Light-kun, your clothes have arrived. I set them down in your room. You may want to try them all on to make sure they fit."

Light nodded, then glanced at L.

L sighed and took the key out of his pocket. "Does Light-kun still intend to run away?"

"No, I want to stay here." 

L believed him, so he unlocked Light from the chain. "I hope that Light-kun never gives me a reason for such drastic measures again."

"I won't," Light swore before taking the elevator up to his room.

With the teen gone, L unlocked himself from the chain as well, then he perched on top of a chair. He already knew that Watari was standing behind him for some reason. L swung his chair around to face the old man and waited.

Watari announced gravely, "Light is wanted in court. All of the DN13 members are willing to testify that he killed a man named Symes."

"I was expecting that to happen. Tell the judge that I order Light-kun's release from all charges," L said nonchalantly.

Watari's eyes widened. "L… Are you serious? You can't excuse Light from the law."

"If I give the order, the judge will do as I say."

"You shouldn't bend the law just because you can!" Watari sounded outraged. "You can defend Light during his trial, but the boy has to be held accountable for-"

"I'll inform the judge that I plan to take full responsibility for Light-kun. I will not allow Light-kun to kill again, but at the same time I won't leave him to rot in a cell."

Watari snapped, "You'll be cheating the justice system that you work so hard to defend."

"I beg to differ. Once Light-kun becomes a detective, the justice system will benefit greatly. He may very well receive the title of the 7th L."

Now the old man looked completely shocked. "You plan to make Light your successor? What about Mellow, Near, and Matt-?"

"I haven't made a decision yet. But, yes, Light-kun is among the potential successors, and I will not allow him to be imprisoned." 

Watari opened his mouth to make another objection, but then Light obliviously entered the room. The teen was wearing his new clothes that were actually the right size and he seemed pretty content. L flashed Watari a warning look, silently urging the old man to keep his mouth shut. Watari scowled, but said nothing.

###

The rest of the day passed by slowly until the location of the 2nd DN13 hideout became certain. Light insisted on immediately arresting all the gang members and having them punished. But L calmly explained that they needed to gather more evidence before such an action. The detective wasn't in too much of a hurry since he knew that the more evidence they had, the longer the DN13 members would be sentenced away. Meanwhile Light was impatient because he wanted the criminals to be punished _now._ L realized that Light's thought process was very Kira-like, but he chose to ignore it and continue working.

By one o'clock in the morning, Light had his head down on the desk in front of his computer screen. The teen was already asleep, yet he had his hand the mouse like it was when he was still working. L continued searching through lists of crimes that could be connected to the DN13 until Watari entered the room.

Before the old man could even open his mouth, L announced, "Yes, Watari. I will move Light-kun to his bed."

That seemed to satisfy Watari enough since he nodded and left. Then L gazed over at Light who was peacefully sleeping next to him.

"Light-kun, wake up." L placed a hand on the teen's shoulder and shook him.

There was no response.

L shook him harder. "It's time for Light-kun to go to bed."

Light mumbled something incoherent while making no attempt to get up.

"If Light-kun does not walk to his room, I will be forced to carry him," L threatened.

"Okay, whatever," Light muttered in his drowsy state.

L's eyes widened. _Light-kun must be more tired than I thought. Maybe carrying him is the safest way._ L sighed before standing up. _I doubt Light-kun would approve of this if he was more alert._

After a moment of brief hesitation, L scooped the sleepy boy up and started carrying him toward the elevator. Unfortunately, the easiest way to carry him was bridal style. _Oh, yes. If Light-kun remembers this in the morning, he will surely attack me._ After taking the elevator up a floor, L brought Light into his room.

L set the teen down on his bed, then pulled a blanket over him. For awhile, L simply stood there and watched over him. While Light was still a minor, L would be able to carry most of the teen's burdens. L could provide for the boy and keep him out of trouble. But in a few years all of that would change… The idea of Light as an adult was delightful yet frightening. With Light's intellect, he had great potential of becoming L's best ally. And with Light's beliefs, he had the unfortunate potential of becoming L's worst enemy. If L could only destroy every trace of Kira-like tendencies in the boy, everything would be much easier. But Light was stubborn…and he clung to his beliefs no matter how horribly wrong they were.

###

The next day, Light won the rematch. Even though L was more experienced, Light learned quickly. The teen must have noticed all of L's smallest flaws in the last game because he was definitely taking advantage of them now. L took the loss in stride and enjoyed the beaming expression on Light's face. He had a feeling that seeing Light so openly happy was rare.

This time, they had to skip the coffee shop part and head straight back to work. L and Light spent hours gathering lists of crimes that could be connected to the DN13. Luckily, quite a few witnesses had called the police department, so L knew which charges would be the easiest to prove. Meanwhile they were also working on getting cameras secretly installed inside the hideout. Two police officers named Aizawa and Mogi agreed to work undercover at the DN13's hideout in order to install the cameras. Another few hours were spent creating fake identities for the two cops and setting up convincing circumstances for their arrival at the hideout.

L and Light accomplished a lot together but there was one piece of evidence that L kept hidden. The detective was positive that Watari who overlooked all their progress noticed this fact. L was gratefully that the old man hadn't mentioned a word of it, yet he could feel Watari glaring at him from across the room.

It wasn't until Light left the workroom to go to bed, when Watari finally stated, "Light-kun doesn't know, does he?"

L still faced the computer screen as he sighed. "No, Light-kun does not."

"But I thought that he saw his mother's autopsy report."

"It had already been censored since I was expecting to show that same document to Light-kun the next day. Light-kun only knows that his mother was shot thirteen times and you saw his reaction. Light-kun is not emotionally prepared for anymore information."

"All of the evidence will be out in the open once the trial begins. It would be better to tell him now-"

"I strongly disagree." L turned to face Watari. "That information would trigger more murderous behavior in Light-kun. It's too dangerous."

Watari crossed his arms. "If Light is so unstable, then he shouldn't even be working on this case."

"I'm well aware of that. And that is why I'll be working on this case in a different location tomorrow, closer to where the hideout is. Since I will be watching a live feed from the hidden cameras, I won't be able to censor what is recorded. I will need you to stay here and make sure that Light-kun does not leave. Also I'll assign Light-kun a different case in order to keep him busy."

"You're going through a lot of trouble to keep the boy in the dark, L. Once Light finds out, he'll-"

"He won't find out," L insisted.

Watari just shook his head. "L, I know how much Light means to you. He is definitely a gifted boy, but if you keep shielding him like this… It will backfire on you."

L stubbornly claimed, "If I can handle the world's toughest criminals, I think I have the capacity to handle a fourteen year old."

The old man only sighed in response.

###

Light actually slept in. Yesterday morning L had barged into his room and hurried him off to the workroom. But L hadn't come yet. Light laid on his bed for about ten minutes after he woke up, expecting L to come in his room. After L failed to show up, Light became impatient and got up. After he dressing for the day, Light strolled out of his room in search for the pale spindly detective. He took the elevator down to workroom but only Watari was there.

"Where's L?" Light immediately asked.

"He's away working on the case right now." Watari headed toward Light and handed him a file. "L wanted you to solve this case while he was gone."

Light opened the folder and glanced through the documents. The case was on a serial killer who had been on the rampage in a distant Japanese city. Light's eyes lit up with interest as he read through the reports of how the killer would taunt the police by purposely leaving messages. A whole police station had been working on this case for years yet they still couldn't find the killer. Light figured that L was probably testing him again.

"Why couldn't L wait until we had the DN13 arrested to give me this case?"

Watari stalled strangely before stating, "Light-kun, you should get started. That case is not an easy one."

Then the old man sat down on the couch and began typing on a laptop. Light gave him a confused look before sitting down at the desk. He went ahead and started researching the case, but his mind was still distracted. _Something doesn't seem right. If L really wanted me to solve this case, then he probably would have waken me up early to start working on it. Also L left without saying a word to me… What the hell is going on?_

Light glanced over his shoulder at Watari who was still focused on his laptop. Then Light switched seats and sat in front of the computer that L usually used. Light searched through the files on L's computer, only to find that all the documents on the DN13 case had been removed. A realization suddenly hit Light. _L doesn't want me to continue working on the DN13 case. The other case that Watari gave me must be a distraction..._

Then Light exited off L's computer and stood to leave. "Watari, I'm going to take a short break. I'll be back in awhile."

"Where are you going?" Watari asked.

"I'm just going to get some food," Light explained as he headed toward the elevator.

Watari suddenly stood and offered, "I can order some food to be delivered here, Light. You may continue working."

Light merely nodded. _Watari doesn't want me to leave. L probably ordered him to keep me here._ "Alright, Watari. I'll just go up to my room and take a shower. Tell me when the food gets here."

After Light took the elevator up a floor, he hurried into his room. Then he entered the bathroom and turned on the shower so the noise of the water could be heard from downstairs. Next, Light searched through the other bedrooms, trying to find a way to subdue the older man. Light found the solution to his problem in L's room. It was the chain.

Light walked back into his room then entered the bathroom where he turned off the shower. Then Light waited until Watari started calling him. Light didn't answer to the old man's calls as he sat on his bed with the chain ready. Eventually he heard footsteps coming down the hall. Light fastened one of the handcuffs to the bedpost toward the end of his bed.

Watari opened the door. "Light, the food is-"

The old man was caught by surprised when Light quickly snapped a handcuff around his wrist. Light stepped out of Watari's reach while the elderly man furiously yanked on the chain connecting him to the bedpost.

"Light-kun, what is the meaning of this?!"

"Where is L?" Light demanded.

"I already told you. He's away working-"

"He's close to the 2nd DN13 hideout, isn't he? Why didn't he take me with him?"

Watari snapped, "Light, allowing you to work on the DN13 case is a privilege. Unlock me right now or else you won't be able to help anymore."

Light wasn't the least bit fazed. "L knows how important catching my mother's killer is to me. Now answer my question. Why didn't he take me with him?"

When Watari stubbornly refused to answer, Light scoffed and left the room, "Fine. I'll find out for myself."

###

Matsuda sat inside the white van in front rows of computer screens which showed the live footage from the inside of the 2nd DN13 hideout. He had been promoted for being an undercover cop under L's instructions. Aizawa and Mogi were so jealous that they had volunteered to be undercover cops too. Matsuda could see his two fellow officers on one of the screens right now speaking to some gang members in a lounge room.

But the most amazing part of Matsuda's promotion was that he got to meet the famous 6th L face to face. The pale world-renowned detective was actually perched beside Matsuda right now.

L bit on the edge of his thumb while focusing on all the computer screens. "Matsuda-san, could you make me some coffee?"

"Yes, sir!" Matsuda excitedly jumped up and scurried toward the coffee machine on the counter.

For a few minutes, Matsuda nervously toiled away making coffee, hoping that he didn't screw up too badly around the famous detective. When the coffee was ready, he brought a cup of coffee over to L. The crouching man placed the cup on the desk in front of him then he began pouring sugar packet after sugar packet into his coffee. That was a lot of sugar.

Matsuda sat down again. "Uh… L, sir, I was wondering what happened to that boy, Light-kun. I know that you said he would be treated fairly, but I haven't heard anything about-"

"Light-kun has been staying with me. He is fine."

"Oh, really?" Matsuda grinned. "That's good. I've been worried about the poor kid."

Then L's cell phone rang. The detective answered it, "This is L." After a short pause, L replied, "I see. There was an 87.6 percent chance of that happening… Yes, I will meet with him in person." L hung up the phone.

Matsuda felt anxious. "What's going on?"

"It turns out that the DN13 is much larger than we first expected. It seems that some of the higher members have been affecting the federal government." L stood up and opened the van's side door. "The Japanese Prime Minster is in a state of panic at the moment, and I offered to brief him on the situation."

"You're meeting the Prime Minster?!" Matsuda gaped at him.

"Yes, that's what I just said." L gave him an annoyed look as if meeting with world leaders was a casual thing to do. "Anyway, I will be gone for about an hour. Only call me if there is an emergency."

Matsuda clumsily saluted him. "Good luck, sir!"

L gave him a blank stare before exiting the van.

###

For about thirty minutes, Matsuda dutifully stayed in the van and watched over the rows of computer screens. But then his stomach started growling. _Ow…_ Matsuda forced himself to stay a little bit longer until his stomach grumbled again. He wrapped arms around his stomach. Matsuda hadn't eaten anything since breakfast and he was starving. _Maybe I could go get some food then run back._

Matsuda exited the van and quickly entered a nearby bakery. He purchased a sack of donuts, then walked out of the store. Unexpectedly, Matsuda spotted someone familiar coming up the stairs from the entrance to subway station.

He instantly recognized the boy and waved to him. "Light-kun! Hey, over here!"

Once Light noticed Matsuda, he hurried towards him. "Do you know where L is?"

"Oh, he's talking to the Prime Minster right now."

Light gave him a surprised look.

"I know! Isn't that awesome?! Anyway, L will be back in about half an hour. You can wait for him in the van with me if you want," Matsuda happily offered.

The teen nodded. "Thanks."

Then Matsuda led Light into the white van and set down his sack of donuts on the desk in front of the row of screens. Light sat down in a chair while intently staring at the computer screens.

"What is this?"

"Oh, that's the live feed that shows the inside of the DN13 hideout. It's all being recorded, so L can watch it all when he gets back." Matsuda explained.

Light stayed focused on all the screens. Most of the screens showed empty rooms, but there was one particular screen that showed a group of gang members who were talking while drinking some beer. There were three of them in total. The tallest one was leaning against a wall, speaking loudly.

"Ah, shut up. You're just jealous because you haven't been gettin' any lately," The tallest one sneered.

The fattest one sat on a couch as he scoffed, "Yeah, right, Raze. I'm so jealous of you and some money-grubbing whore."

"Nah, man. My last chick was free," Raze bragged.

The third man with longer hair seemed skeptical. "Really? And who was this slut?"

Raze smiled proudly. "Wedy."

Light suddenly gasped while Matsuda watched with a confused look on his face. "Who's Wedy?" He dared to ask.

But Light didn't say anything. He just stared at the screen in horror.

The two other gang members on the screen seemed shocked as well. The fattest one finally spoke up, "I thought that you were ordered to kill her?"

"I did kill her. But hell," Raze laughed callously. "I figured why not have some fun with the bitch first."

Now Matsuda was getting really worried. Next to him, Light was shaking and hiding his face in his hands. "Light-kun?" Matsuda placed a hand on the teen's trembling shoulder.

On the screen, the group of men continued talking. The man with longer hair seemed disgusted. "You raped her? You could have easily gotten a whore."

"Yeah, but whores are no fun. They just lay there. Wedy, now there's an active bitch. Always squirming around and screaming… Ha, ha, ha! I actually got her to suck me off by saying I had her pussy son tied up in another room."

Light suddenly banged his fist on the desk with uncontrollable rage.

The fat man snickered. "Raze, you're such a sick bastard."

Then the whole group of men started laughing.

Light hatefully glared at the screen as his whole body shook. "I swear I'll fucking kill you."

"Uh, Light-kun-?"

Light suddenly turned around and stole Mastuda's gun from its holster. Before Matsuda could react, the teen whacked him on the side of the head with the gun. The last thing Matsuda saw was Light's furious expression as he slipped into unconsciousness.


	13. Backfire

The Japanese Prime Minster sat at a long table across from L. On the other sides of the table, there were several top governmental officials and security guards. L took his time thoroughly explaining the situation. It had recently come to L's attention that some of the funds for the DN13 could be traced back to certain politicians who were mostly likely following orders from a more powerful elected official. The Prime Minster was so shaken by these accusations that he had asked to meet with the detective in person. Of course, the Prime Minister only knew him as Ryuzaki, one of L's assistants.

After explaining the problem, L slid his laptop across the table toward the Prime Minster. "The evidence of L's accusations is in the minimized documents."

While the Prime Minister scrolled through the documents, L took out his cell phone and glanced at the time. Watari still hadn't called yet. The old man could usually handle whatever assignment L gave him…but Light was known for being the exception.

"I need to make a quick call," L announced before dialing the number to the workroom.

The phone rang for over thirty seconds as L became more nervous. Once the answering machine started, L hung up the cell phone. _I never should have taken off that chain._ L quickly placed his cell phone back into his pocket. _Light-kun is most likely searching for me around the 2nd DN13 hideout by now._

L stood and snatched his laptop back from the Prime Minster. "There is an emergency. We will finish this meeting later."

Right as L turned to exit the room, the Prime Minster snapped, "You can't be serious?! First, L only sends an assistant. And now you're leaving? I swear if you leave this meeting, Ryuzaki, I will have L fire you!"

"Good luck with that." L left the room in a hurry.

L instructed his chauffeur to ignore the speed limit as the car zoomed back to where the white surveillance van was parked. Then L jumped out the car and rushed inside the white van. It was worse than L had expected. Matsuda was actually laying on the floor, most likely unconscious. And L quickly noticed that Matsuda's holster was missing his gun. _Now Light-kun is armed._ L glanced at the rows of computer screens. _For Light-kun to react this strongly, he must know who his mother's killer is, or even the unfortunate circumstances around her death._ L immediately called for back up while checking Matsuda's pulse.

Then L opened a desk drawer, where a remote controlled GPS was secretly kept. L was hoping that he wouldn't have to use this. But luckily he didn't trust Light too much. When Light was sleeping this morning, L had placed tiny tracking devices in all of the teen's clothes.

L turned on the GPS and pinpointed Light's position. The teen was located only a block away from the van. L quickly left the van and chose to head toward Light by car. Even though the chauffeur may see something that L may like to cover up later, it was the fastest way. Besides L knew covering up Light's potential murder would be impossible this time. The police were already on their way and the street Light was currently on had new video cameras secretly installed. If Light managed to murder his mother's killer, there would be no turning back.

###

The gun was itching in Light's hand. He wanted to kill that sick fucker now. Screw L's justice. It wasn't personal enough. It wasn't righteous enough. Light was going to shoot his mother's killer right through his fucking skull.

Before Light left the van, he continued watching the screen until he heard where Raze was to wait for a heroin delivery. Raze would show up on this street any minute now. Fortunately, the other criminal bringing the delivery seemed to be late. But Light didn't care about the other criminal. His only target was Raze and if the other criminal interfered, Light may very well shoot him too.

Light stepped back into an alleyway once he spotted Raze coming down the street. The smug bastard headed straight into the meeting location, without a care in the world. Light suddenly stepped in front of Raze and pointed his gun at the murderer's head.

Raze's eyes widened in horror as he stumbled backwards. "What the hell?!"

Light stared directly into Raze's eyes, taking pleasure in the killer's fear. His heart raced with excitement as he steadied his weapon. Light had nothing to say to this revolting criminal except one thing.

"I am Wedy's son." Light pulled the trigger.

Right as the gun fired, Light's arm was jerked to the side by someone behind him. The bullet zoomed into the side of a building, missing the stunned gang member.

Light furiously turned around to see L gripping his arm. "Dammit! Let go!"

L only tightened his hold as Light thrashed, trying to break lose. Light shouted angrily, "This bastard deserves to die! You know what he did, right?! You know what this fucking rapist did! Let me go!"

While L struggled to keep Light under control, Raze hastily took out his own gun. Before Raze could fire his weapon, L protectively shoved Light out of the way. Light crashed on the sidewalk, landing on his back.

Then he heard a gunshot.

Light instantly sat up and realized in terror what had happened. L was shot…The detective was on his knees now while gripping his bloody shoulder in pain.

_L…_ Light's whole body trembled. Then he determinedly snatched his gun off the ground.

"Don't you dare." L glared at him with piercing black eyes.

Light froze with the gun still in his hand. Raze was about to fire his weapon again when police sirens unexpectedly rang out.

"Oh, shit!" Raze fearfully turned and fled down the street.

Then police cars came from all directions, trapping the fleeing gang member. Meanwhile L was still on his knees with a pained expression on his face. Blood was flowing down from L's shoulder, soaking his white shirt. Light dropped his stolen firearm and stumbled over to L, then kneeled beside him.

Light guiltily stared at L's wounded shoulder. "L…I-"

L suddenly slapped Light across his face, "You could've ruined your whole life, Light! There are video cameras all over the place, and the police were already planning to arrest Raze here!" L took in a few deep breaths before whispering, "I wouldn't have been able keep you out of prison this time."

Then L shut his eyes as he collapsed forward. Light immediately clutched the unconscious detective and started screaming for an ambulance.

###

When L first woke up, he glanced around the room, instantly realizing his location. He was on a hospital bed with his shoulder bandaged up. Light was sitting in a chair next to the bed with his head down next to L's good shoulder. The sleeping teen was clutching the sleeve of L's right arm. Light had obviously been waiting for L to wake up. According to the clock by the bed, it was 4:47 in the morning.

L watched Light sleep for awhile with a sense of relief, but also frustration. Light had almost killed again. L couldn't look after the teen forever. Eventually Light would simply have to choose for himself. Would he follow L's justice or Kira's justice? If Light continued acting like a vigilante, he would inevitably see Kira as a heroic figure and that would make L into the villain. L sighed. He knew that if he was going to change Light's behavior, he needed to do something now while Light was still young.

The door to the hospital room opened and Watari entered. The old man looked relieved to see L awake.

"How are you feeling?"

L bluntly replied, "Well, I was shot so I'm not particularly cheerful."

Watari just shook his head. "You're lucky that it was only your shoulder. You could have died, L."

"I am aware of that," L stated before glancing back at the sleeping teen. "How did Light-kun manage to get away from you?"

"He used that chain of yours to handcuff me to a bedpost." Watari crossed his arms. "It took me over an hour to pick the lock and free myself."

"Yes, that sounds like something Light-kun would do." L still watched over Light as he slept.

Watari walked to the other side of the hospital bed to face the detective. "L, I know that you care about Light-kun. The boy is definitely a gifted child but-"

"I can handle him."

"That's what you said before, L. This boy is troubled. He needs serious help-"

"My influence is the best thing that Light-kun can have right now."

Watari firmly claimed, "Light has already committed murder and he would do it again if he had the chance."

"That is exactly why Light-kun needs me." L met Watari's gaze. "I don't trust anyone else to stop him but myself."

Then L felt Light tighten his hold L's sleeve. He knew that the teen was starting to wake up. "Watari, I need to speak with Light-kun alone."

The old man nodded before exiting the room. Shortly after Watari left, Light began lifting his head then he stared up at L. First Light looked shocked, then he quickly stood up.

"L, are you okay?" Light seemed genuinely worried. L decided to take that as a good sign.

"Yes, Light-kun. So much morphine has been pumped into my system that the pain was subsided quite a bit."

Light unexpectedly leaned forward, rambling, "I'm sorry. L, I'm really sorry. I wasn't expecting you to be there. You shouldn't have been shot. Raze was my problem and-"

"Light-kun." L gave the teen an annoyed look. "The fact that I was shot doesn't truly bother me."

"But you could have-"

"Died? Yes, I suppose." L stated seriously, "But you almost killed that man, Light-kun. That is unacceptable."

Light glared back at L then he sat down in the chair again. "You know what he did to my mother."

"Yes, but Light-kun still cannot take the law into his own hands."

Light crossed his arms. "I was doing what needed to be done. What would you have done in my position?"

L immediately answered, "Not what you did. I would work to have Raze arrested and collect as much evidence as possible against him."

"He may only be sentenced to life in prison."

"That is the court's decision, not mine."

Light furiously shouted, "But that bastard deserves to die-!"

L suddenly grabbed Light's chin and forcibly tilted his head up to face him. Light gazed up at the detective with wide eyes.

"Light-kun is remorseful for my condition, correct? Does he wish to be forgiven?" L asked in a stern tone.

"Yes."

"Then Light-kun must promise me something. And if you break this promise, we will be enemies. Understand, Light-kun?"

Light tried to nod but L kept a firm grip on his chin. "Yes."

L's stare bore directly into the teen's eyes. "Light-kun is allowed to believe what he wishes. But he must not act on anymore vigilante tendencies. He must never kill again with the misguided belief of punishing his victims. You must promise me this. And if you go back on your word, Light-kun, I will personally hunt you down and bring you to _real_ justice. I will have you thrown in prison or even executed if the court decides upon it."

Light anxiously glanced in the other direction.

L tilted Light's chin up even more, causing Light to meet his gaze. "Does Light-kun promise to follow my way of justice from now on?"

Light stalled for a moment. L was aware that this promise would be difficult for Light to make. The boy was stubborn as hell, but L wouldn't accept anything short of a vow.

After awhile, Light sighed and finally caved in, "Yes, L. I promise."


End file.
